Bedside Manner
by Orion Matrix
Summary: Ruby suddenly falls seriously ill, and Weiss is there to help her. But during this time the heiress starts to think about her interactions with Ruby, and realizes that things have to change, even as she tries to find out why Ruby is sick in the first place. Ruby x Weiss, White Rose, updated to Multiple chapter format.
1. Bedside Manner

Bedside Manner

_By_

_Orion Matrix_

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to RWBY or any characters therein; this is a work of non-cannon fiction for the purposes of entertainment only. RWBY and all related characters belong to Monty Oum and the team at Roosterteeth. Only original characters are mine, and there aren't many of them here.

This fic was inspired by the work of LunarisFuryAileron on Deviant Art; more specifically, his picture 'RWBY - Watashi no Shirona Tenshi'. It's a really sweet little comic that is a must for fans of the Ruby and Weiss partnership. Also there's a little nod to VnixxiR on Deviant art as well with his RWBY comics.

This fic has strong hints of White Rose, Pink, Ruby x Weiss, if you don't like then you don't have to read.

I'd love a review for my first RWBY fic. Beta read by AnimeGirl 144.

Due to popular demand, updated to MULTI-CHAPTER!

_'Text'_ Thoughts

_"Text"_ Words from memory

_="Text"=_ Telephone conversation

-

Weiss Schnee yawned as she made her way back to Team RWBY's dorm room, covering her mouth with her hand almost shyly as she did so. Normally she wouldn't have been up quite this early, but one of the professors wanted to talk to her about a dust demonstration he was planning and had asked for her to participate.

The heiress was more than happy to offer her expertise on the subject, a subject her father made sure she was an expert in. However, after the discussion she had had with Professor Port a few weeks ago, she had made a concerted effort to reign in her attitude, both towards her teachers as well as her team mates.

Weiss soon found that this had several benefits, especially when she remembered the change in her team's leader, the rather childish but undeniably skilled Ruby Rose.

She smiled softly as she remembered seeing Ruby, quietly dozing on her bed, books, notepads, papers, and an empty coffee cup scattered around her as she studied until late at night; late enough for their team mates to have fallen deep asleep.

Of course, this led her to remember what had most likely spawned the intense burst of studying, and her smile fell into an unhappy frown. She was woman enough to admit when she had been wrong, but the almost savage berating she had given the younger girl was far from her proudest moment.

_'Or maybe pride was exactly the problem...'_ She thought glumly to herself, remembering the hurt look plastered on Ruby's face. Weiss had not held back when she verbally tore into Ruby, citing all the effort she had put into getting to that point in her life, and even going so far as to tell Ruby to her face that she didn't deserve to be the leader of their team.

After that she had spoken to Professor Port, who had rather quickly given the heiress a reality check, and although she was reluctant to admit it, he had opened her eyes to a new perspective that could work better.

Seeing Ruby study until she fell asleep later that evening showed her that maybe there was more to the 'dolt' than she had initially seen.

Regardless, Weiss knew that even though things were better between her and Ruby, she still felt bad about the whole thing. No matter the situation, there was no need to hurt someone like that. Even with how they met, she realised that the punishment she had doled out to Ruby didn't fit the crime. A simple 'Be more careful next time ok?' would have worked far better.

_'But not me, oh no. I had to treat her like dirt for days afterwards.'_ She thought bitterly to herself.

Even after all this time, Weiss had never truly apologised to Ruby. The closest she had managed was giving her some encouragement with her studying. That thought brought the smile back to her face, as she remembered what had happened.

After getting over her surprise at the scene before her, Weiss had softly cleared her throat and shaken Ruby's shoulder. The young girl had slowly opened her eyes, looking a little unfocused until she saw Weiss looking at her, and then she had jolted awake and started a rambling explanation that Weiss could only now admit was rather adorable.

After getting Ruby a fresh cup of coffee, and rolling her eyes once she heard how Ruby liked it, she had spoken honestly, maybe a bit hesitantly, but she was sure Ruby could see Weiss was being truthful with her words.

But it still didn't help Weiss feel better, because a cup of coffee and some nice words didn't really equal an 'I'm sorry for being so horrible to you' gesture.

Weiss resolved to herself to make it up to Ruby somehow. She didn't know how she was going to do it, but she was determined to find something that she could do.

After all, even if Ruby was a little absent minded and childish at times, she still had a bright and infectious personality that made people smile easily, even the normally distant Blake. She just wasn't the kind of person that could be hated.

As she came closer to the door to their room, Weiss shook her head. While she wasn't as satisfied as she was before, she was more content and focused on her new decision. Maybe she'd go with Ruby to the library later, she was surprised to learn that her leader loved books almost as much as the team's resident bibliophile, and she thought that maybe sharing some of the stories she liked was a good way of making things up to Ruby.

Nodding her head decisively, Weiss opened the door and glanced around, noticing that Yang and Blake had already left. She looked towards the shelves next to the door and saw that Gambol Shroud and Ember Celica were gone, and she thought that maybe her team mates had gone to the showers before going to class directly.

They did this sometimes, usually after a late night study session, so it wasn't something that Weiss needed to worry about. She noticed Crescent Rose and Myrtenaster sitting together and smiled slightly; the way they rested against one another made her think they were protecting each other, or almost embracing...

Weiss scoffed quietly and shook her head, not noticing the warmth in her cheeks at the notion.

The heiress turned around and noticed that Ruby was getting up. She smiled as she saw her sleepy partner slowly step down to the floor and waved in greeting.

"Good morning Ruby, did you sleep well?"

Ruby looked up slowly and when their eyes met, the smile faded from Weiss' lips. Ruby was the quintessential early riser of the group, almost as if she needed to be up the second the sun rose so she could have as much fun as possible.

The only exception to this was when she had been studying till late evening with the rest of the team. On those occasions Ruby would take a bit of time to wake up in the morning, but usually once she got her feet on the ground she was back to being a bundle of semi-controlled enthusiasm and energy.

However this was not the Ruby whom Weiss saw then, because her silver eyes were unfocused, cloudy and red, and she was panting, slowly it had to be admitted, but her breathing was certainly off. The Heiress' concern rose even more when she saw that Ruby was gripping the side of her bed almost desperately, and she noticed the brunette's legs were shaking a bit.

Weiss took a step towards Ruby, who tried to smile a bit, but it failed miserably considering her pale, sweat covered complexion.

"Not...n-not really...Weiss...I-"

Ruby's words were interrupted as she hiccupped slightly, her skin growing suddenly even paler. Her eyes suddenly went wide and she clapped her hand over her mouth and launched herself toward the small bathroom to the side of their room.

"Ruby!"

Weiss called out in surprise and followed the smaller girl, arriving in time to see her vomit violently into the toilet. Weiss could only stare in shock, not remembering a time when Ruby was even slightly unwell. She didn't recall Ruby even having a runny nose, so seeing her partner so significantly sick was rather jarring.

The sound of more agonised retching snapped Weiss out of her shock and she dropped to her knees next to Ruby, brushing the hair from her partners face, suppressing a shiver at the feel of the cold and clammy locks under her fingers. Her free hand went to Ruby's back, rubbing it gently and, she hoped, soothingly.

Ruby, for her part, could only just acknowledge that someone was there, her focus being the violent expulsion of last night's dinner. Every time it happened, it felt as if her insides were turning inside out. Every part of her hurt, and the bile in her throat and mouth only helped to make her throw up even more.

She felt tears trickle down her face but she couldn't do anything about it, it was all she could do to keep a hold of the rim of the toilet, and Ruby miserably resigned herself to the situation as she quietly cried.

Weiss shook a small tear away herself; she was extremely frightened; she had never seen anyone as sick as this. She just didn't know what to do, and it made her feel useless. The analytical part of her mind told her that at this moment there wasn't much she could do, but she still wanted nothing more than to help her partner feel better.

The pair remained that way for over half an hour, every time Ruby tried to lift her head she would feel sick again, and after a while she stopped trying, even after she had nothing left to expel and had resorted to dry heaves, which by the sound alone made Weiss feel even more wretched. It sounded awful, and Weiss knew it was even worse for Ruby.

All the while Weiss kept her hand on her partners back, trying to help her relax if even slightly. After some time it seemed as if Ruby had calmed down, the only sounds in the bathroom were her laboured breathing and the occasional sniffle.

"Ruby...?"

At Weiss' hesitant call, Ruby very slowly raised her head, afraid the movement would start the whole mess all over again, but thankfully she was able to look up enough to meet Weiss' worried gaze. Weiss didn't know why but she felt slightly calmer at seeing Ruby's eyes, they were still watery and red, but she couldn't deny she relaxed a bit.

"There you are..." She offered with a small smile, one that Ruby herself returned, even if it was rather weak. She took a moment to brush some of Ruby's hair from her eyes, telling herself it was to make sure she could check for any symptoms. It certainly wasn't so she could see Ruby's eyes clearly, surely not.

"I don't...feel so good..."

Weiss laughed rather brokenly and wiped another tear from her eye, it wasn't that great a joke, but damn her if it didn't make her feel a little better.

"Really, I hardly noticed."

Ruby, bless her heart, grinned a little bit before shivering. All humour vanished from Weiss and she wrapped her arm around Ruby. The fact was the bathroom floor wasn't anywhere near warm enough, and Ruby's back was alarmingly cold to the touch. Looking around Weiss got up for a moment and filled a cup with some water and offered it to the young girl.

"Here, just rinse your mouth out; it'll make you feel a bit better."

Ruby nodded miserably and took the cup in her shaking hand, relaxing onto her partners embrace. After a few rinses, Ruby's head drooped a bit and Weiss took the cup from her partner's almost limp fingers.

"Come on, let's get you into bed ok?" Weiss suggested, gently helping Ruby to her feet. The poor girl could hardly stand, let alone walk, and this was proven as Ruby stumbled a bit even with her partners support.

Worry fuelling her, Weiss leaned down and put her arm behind Ruby's knees and slowly stood, lifting Ruby into her arms. Ruby herself gave a surprised little 'eep' and wrapped her arms around Weiss' neck, but didn't struggle, and in fact after a moment she pressed herself closer to the heiress for warmth with a small whimper.

The action was so miserable that Weiss almost felt her heart break.

Weiss carefully carried her passenger back into the main room and looked at the beds. She knew Ruby would be more comfortable in her own bed but it would be harder to take care of her there, and aside from anything else, she realised with minor embarrassment she was too short to get Ruby up onto her own bed.

If Ruby were healthy then Weiss may have been able to toss the girl up there without worry, but there was no way she could bring herself to do that now. Sighing slightly, Weiss smiled a little and moved towards her own bed and laid Ruby down gently.

But upon realising where she was being rested, Ruby started fussing a bit, not strong enough to do anything really, but that didn't stop her from trying with the occasional groan of protest.

"What's wrong Ruby?" The surprise in Weiss' voice was palpable, and Ruby turned her head away, as if in shame.

"This is your bed...I...I don't want to mess it up..."

_"My bed is NOT a step ladder Ruby! DON'T mess it up!"_

Almost as if she was listening to it on the radio, Weiss could hear her own words, words she had spoken to Ruby in anger a few days after they had set up their bunk beds. Yang had said something to Ruby when she was about to get into bed, and as she turned to pay attention to her sisters words, one of Ruby's feet came to rest on Weiss' bed.

When she had noticed this, Weiss had made no attempt to curb her temper.

Ruby's words just now, hesitant and worried, felt like a dagger in Weiss' heart. Even when she was sick, Ruby was more concerned about upsetting Weiss.

Once Ruby was asleep, or at least resting, Weiss resolved to find a quiet corner and cry.

Fighting back tears, Weiss smiled and gently cupped Ruby's face in her hand, calming the girl's fidgeting and catching her complete attention.

"You dummy...It's alright. I can't look after you properly if you're up there, can I?"

Ruby still looked uncertain and for a moment Weiss thought she was going to try and argue the point. But after a moment, she nodded, closing her eyes and enjoying the warm hand against her cheek.

Weiss reached up with her free hand and grabbed the bedding from Ruby's bunk, covering the girl without removing her hand. She had known for some time that Ruby was a rather 'touchy-feely' girl, how could she not, remembering how she had jumped into her sisters arms the second time they met. Even so, she was realising that Ruby seemed to need this kind of physical contact.

Suddenly Ruby groaned and curled herself into a ball as if to protect herself, startling Weiss as she could only watch and worry. Not knowing what else to do she put her hand on Ruby's back again and tried to comfort her partner, her pained moans echoing throughout the otherwise quiet room.

"Ruby what is it? I'm here. What do you need?" Weiss asked almost desperately. She was starting to panic and beyond everything else it hurt to see Ruby in pain. It was an observation that would have given her pause if she didn't have more important things to worry about.

"Miss Schnee, is there somethi-..."

The heiress turned towards the door with a startled look on her face, seeing the school's headmaster, Professor Ozpin, standing in the doorway with a surprised expression on his face.

The professor was not expecting this situation when he came to Team RWBY's dorm room. Professor Kim had asked him to see if he could find the Heiress because she was supposed to help him with some kind of presentation but hadn't turned up. He needed to speak with the grounds keepers anyway, and since the first year student dorms were on the way, he decided to take care of the matter.

As he came close to the door, he thought he could hear something, and as he came closer, Weiss' question could just be heard through the door, and he decided to check things out, even though he hadn't received any answer to his knock a second before.

Weiss turned from the headmaster back to her partner as the girl in question whimpered again, her face scrunched up in pain, a contrast to the worry sported by her partner. Setting his customary cup of coffee on the side table, Ozpin walked purposefully into the room and kneeled down next to Weiss, taking stock of the situation.

"Miss Rose? What's wrong?" He asked gently, realising a moment later that Ruby was probably in too much pain to answer.

Looking towards Weiss, he noticed the girl was still fretting, trying to sooth her teammate. Putting a gentle hand on her shoulder, he repeated his question, and waited a moment before Weiss looked at him.

He was rather surprised to see traces of tears in the young woman's eyes.

"I don't know sir, she got up and didn't look well, then she was sick, and after she got into bed she just started moaning and I...I don't..." Weiss tried to explain everything, but between her worry over Ruby and her own confusion over the cause of Ruby's illness, she started rambling faster and faster until she trailed off helplessly.

"Calm down Weiss. Ruby, can you hear me? I need to know what's wrong." Turning his attention to the young leader, he called out gently but firmly, hoping that she might just hear him.

A few moments passed, filled with Ruby still rocking herself and moaning, before she weakly lifted her eyes to look at Ozpin. The corner of his mouth twitched downwards, not remembering the last time he saw someone looking so miserable.

"M...my stomach...h-hurts..." She whimpered quietly, closing her eyes tight as she groaned again.

Ozpin's eyes narrowed slightly in consideration. Something in his head said that this was very familiar, but he just couldn't place the feeling. He had a slight suspicion and leaned closer to Ruby.

"Ruby...did you eat anything odd recently? Maybe something different?"

Ruby opened her eyes, trying to remember and focus on the question, rather than the pain, but she couldn't think of anything out of the ordinary. Except...

"The...chicken last night, it was...a bit pink..." That was about as much as Ruby could manage before crying out in pain again and curling up even tighter than before.

As for Ozpin, he turned his head away so the girls couldn't see the dangerous glint in his eyes. He knew there was something familiar about what was happening to Ruby. Last night there had been a party to celebrate a student's birthday. While the academy was perfectly suited to providing food for the students, the number of people who attended the party necessitated Ozpin calling in additional staff from a local Catering company.

The problem was, almost the exact same thing had happened two years ago. There had been a party, additional staff had been called in, from the same company oddly enough, and the next day a few students had been taken ill, and the cause had been under-prepared food cooked by the non-Beacon cooks.

_'Once is an accident, twice is a pattern.'_ The professor thought angrily. He got up and moved away from the girls and pulled out his phone, calling Glynda Goodwitch and tapping his foot impatiently.

_="Yes professor?"=_ Glynda's response came a moment later, the woman's voice sounding professional, if slightly bored.

"I need you to check the class registers, see if any students haven't come to class this morning, and check with the infirmary. Let me know if anyone has come in with symptoms of food poisoning."

The professor's voice was quiet as he spoke to Glynda, hoping to let Weiss concentrate on her partner, but the second he finished his sentence, he frowned as he saw Weiss look up in shock out of the corner of his eye.

_="Food poisoning? What do you mean_?"= While Ozpin didn't show it, he was silently amused at how surprised Goodwitch sounded. She certainly didn't seem bored anymore.

"I'm in team RWBY's dorm now and Miss Rose is extremely ill, at the moment she seems to be dealing with severe stomach cramps and she told me the chicken she had last night was a bit pink. Miss Schnee is with her now, but there's a chance that other students may have eaten something that didn't agree with them. Please check into it for me."

_="O-of course, I'll get it done immediately,"=_ came the flustered reply just before the line disconnected.

Ozpin put his phone back in his pocket and turned back to the girls, noticing with some relief that Ruby had quieted down a bit. He also noticed with some amusement that Ruby had moved her hands out from under the covers and had taken Weiss' hand in both of hers, holding it tightly. The Heiress' free hand was stroking the brunette's hair while she looked towards Ozpin himself.

His amusement faded as he noticed the simmering anger in Weiss' sky blue eyes. Were he a lesser man he would have flinched.

"Food poisoning?"

On some level he realised that Weiss was trying to keep her temper in check, but what she really wanted to do was find the person responsible for this mess and give them a long lesson in pain. He admitted to himself that he was rather surprised with how upset Weiss was over Ruby's illness. Given their initial interactions he would not have foreseen this kind of response.

He thought briefly that maybe Ruby's honest personality had helped things along more than he had anticipated. But he shook the thought off and explained what he knew to the Heiress.

"We sometimes get an outside catering company to help whenever special events are held at the academy. Two years ago there was another party and some students were ill the next day. One of them said he didn't eat anything aside from a couple of chicken drumsticks. It turns out that some of them weren't properly cooked. I checked their records and they have an excellent health and safety record, but after seeing Ruby like this I'm not so sure anymore." He explained, noticing that Weiss kept the motion of her hand on Ruby's head constant and gentle, but her expression became more and more incensed every passing second.

"Tell me the company name, professor. They won't get away with this."

If he wasn't so angry at them himself, Ozpin would have been concerned for the company's staff, given the venom in the heiress' voice. It was calm, quiet and deliberate, yet carried the promise of retribution.

Ozpin shook his head gently and started speaking as he saw the affronted look on Weiss' face.

"You should concentrate on your partner Miss Schnee; she needs you with her now. I'm going to get some medicine that should help her feel better, and after that I'm going to look into this matter."

He saw that this didn't satisfy the young woman, and he walked over and put a hand on her shoulder once more. When their eyes reconnected, Weiss could see the cold steel in the professor's gaze.

"Don't worry; I'm going to bring the full power of Beacon to bear on this situation. Once I have everything I need, I'll make sure to send for you. Like you said, they won't get away with this."

Neither looked away for a few moments, until Weiss closed her eyes and nodded reluctantly. Ruby let out a small noise and Weiss immediately shifted her attention back to her partner, checking her over. Now that she knew what was wrong she had calmed down significantly, but it still didn't resolve the fact that she was worried sick. No pun intended.

The professor was about to stand up when his phone rang, and he answered it quickly, noticing that it was Glynda calling him. "What have you found?"

_="It's like you thought sir, not including Miss Rose and Miss Schnee, twelve students haven't reported to class, and four are in the infirmary. Only two of the students in the infirmary are sick, the others are their respective partners, so I'm guessing it's the same for the other students. With Miss Rose as well, I believe we have nine students who are sick today. I'm going to check on the students who haven't attended right now."=_

Ozpin's jaw tightened and his free hand clenched into a fist. The last time this happened, only four students were taken ill. If the professor was angry before, he was ready to declare war at this point.

"Very well. Call me once you've finished checking, and send a message to the professors to inform us if any other students seem unwell. Some of them may be trying to tough it out during class."

_="Of course. Sir...is Ruby alright?"=_ Came the slightly worried question from his friend and colleague.

The professor looked towards Ruby, who was by this point crying quietly onto Weiss' pillow, her partner still keeping sentinel over her and whispering softly, trying to calm her.

"She's doing better than when I called you, but not by much." He muttered into the receiver, and he could almost picture Glynda's vexed expression on the other side of the line.

Last month, the two had talked while taking a break from paperwork about some of the more unique teams that were attending the academy this year. Of course the subject soon turned to team RWBY. Glynda had even admitted that she may have been a little too hard on the poor girl when they had first met.

After that, Ozpin was sure he saw Glynda conceal a smile occasionally whenever she dealt with Ruby directly in classes.

_="I see. Tell them...I hope she gets better soon."=_

"You're not...worried about her, are you Glynda?" There was no way the professor could let this opportunity go, just as there was nothing he could do to hide the grin on his face, a grin that got even wider as he could feel the woman's blush through the phone in his hand.

_="Of course not! S-she has course work to hand in soon! That's all!"=_ Came the indignant reply, but her stutter killed any trace of belief in her words.

"Naturally. I'll talk to you later." He smiled and disconnected before the irate woman could respond and turned his attention back to the girls. Once again Ruby had calmed even more, but still seemed upset, and Weiss's expression had relaxed. It was incredible to think one tiny act of carelessness could cause such distress and upset.

"Goodwitch hopes you get better soon, Ruby. I'm going to visit the infirmary, and then I'll be back soon, alright?" He spoke softly, noting that while Ruby didn't open her eyes, she did nod her head a bit. The sight saddened him a little, knowing she must still be feeling awful.

"Thank you professor. Really, I...I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't-" Weiss started, still stroking Ruby's hair, but the man gently stopped her, touching his finger over her lips.

"You don't need to thank me Miss Schnee. I'm just glad I could help." He smiled kindly and gripped Ruby's bed to pull himself to his feet, his eyes widening as he felt the bed shift towards him. It was at that point he took a closer look at how the bed was elevated and to say he was surprised was a bit of an understatement.

"Ropes?"

Weiss looked up in confusion before following his gaze, and blushed in embarrassment when she saw what he meant. She squirmed a little as the headmaster stared at her with a raised eyebrow.

"We...the room was a bit too small for us and the beds...and...Well Ruby thought it was a good idea...so did Blake and Yang..." She couldn't bring herself to continue, the headmaster never looking away from her. After an uncomfortable moment, the man chuckled.

"I'll arrange for some proper bunk beds to be delivered. It really is a good idea, opens up the room, don't you think? Let me know when Ruby's better and I'll call Requisitions."

Weiss blinked and looked at the beds, closing her eyes with a groan as she remembered that the academy had a requisitions department that could get just about anything the students or staff could possibly need.

"I should have thought of that..." She muttered, and blushed as she heard Ozpin chuckle.

"It's alright Weiss, the first few weeks are hectic enough, and things take time to settle. I've heard that there are some students who haven't unpacked yet, and the term started almost two months ago."

The heiress giggled quietly and then calmed, smiling as she saw the smile on Ruby's face. She looked towards the older man and smiled gratefully at him.

"Thank you."

Ozpin simply nodded and headed for the door, making sure to grab his cup and take a well-deserved sip. After that he quietly closed the door and headed to the infirmary. 

End of Chapter 1


	2. Heart of pain and forgiveness

In the dorm, things were finally quiet. Ruby still sniffled every now and then and her breathing wasn't entirely natural, but she seemed far better than earlier that morning. Weiss sat next to her bed, watching her partner, not realising that she was still stroking Ruby's head, nor that Ruby still had her other hand held between hers.

No matter what happened today, all she wanted at this moment was for Ruby to be alright.

"Ruby, are you feeling any better?" Weiss asked softly, wondering if the young girl had managed to fall asleep. She got her answer as Ruby's brows drew down and she shook her head slightly.

"A little...stomach still hurts..." Came the abnormally quiet voice.

Weiss nodded a little and looked around, spotting the small bottles of water she kept in the cabinet next to her bed. She could finally think rationally about what she needed to do to help Ruby, and she remembered something she read in a medical text book a few years ago saying it was important if someone vomited to make sure they stayed hydrated and drink water, even if they could only sip it.

"Hold on, I'll just be a second." Weiss caresses Ruby's clammy cheek softly before getting to her feet, wincing as her legs complained about the sudden movement. The heiress quickly went into the bathroom and ran a cloth under the tap, getting it nice and cold. Then she grabbed a cup, a couple of small bowls, and filled one bowl with cool water.

Bringing the whole lot with her, she saw that Ruby had brought her hands back under the covers and was shivering a bit.

She thought about everything that had happened since she came into the room this morning, the chaos, confusion, the worry...she couldn't even muster a denial that she was just concerned for the team's performance.

Seeing Ruby like this, vulnerable, upset, sick, it just didn't fit right, as if a fundamental element of her life was corrupted. A spike of anger shot through her mind as she remembered what caused all this, but she forced herself to calm down. Whoever did this would feel her wrath soon enough, Ozpin had promised her.

She soon had everything set up as she needed it, the bowl with water sitting on the corner of the cabinet next to her bed and in easy reach, the cup and a couple of water bottles sat on the side as well, and the empty bowl sat on the bed next to Ruby should she need it. Taking the cloth in her hands and wringing out the excess water, she folded it into a smaller size and moved closer, gently tilting Ruby's face up and running the cloth over her forehead, smiling as Ruby sighed in apparent bliss.

"Better?" Weiss asked, relaxing even more when she saw Ruby smile.

"That's so nice..."

Weiss didn't say anything else; she just wiped the sweat from Ruby's face, watching the younger girl relax more and more. She sat like that for some time, caressing Ruby's face with the cloth over and over until Ruby opened her eyes and tiredly looked up at Weiss with a small smile.

Weiss felt her face soften and smiled back at Ruby, putting the cloth to the side, taking one of the bottles of water in her hand and looking back at Ruby with concern.

"You feel up to drinking something?"

Her face fell a bit as Ruby's eyes squinted a little in obvious displeasure at the idea and she turned her face away from the offered water.

"No...Don't want any..."

"Just enough to wet your lips ok? A tiny sip. Please Ruby? For me?"

Ruby turned just enough so she could look at Weiss with one eye, and she frowned unhappily.

"That's so not playing fair..."

_'Now you know how I feel.'_ Weiss thought to herself, making sure to keep the smile from her face. After a moment, Weiss' patience was rewarded as Ruby reluctantly nodded, and Weiss moved quickly to help her sit up a bit.

Once Ruby was comfortable, she filled the cup with a small amount of water and sat next to Ruby, one hand around her shoulders and the other offering the cup quietly. Ruby hesitated, the idea of eating or drinking anything made her stomach twist in protest, but she was thirsty if she was honest with herself.

They sat in silence for the next few minutes, Ruby taking tiny sips of water every now and then. At one point Ruby doubled over a little bit looking as if she was about to be sick again, and Weiss immediately had the empty bowl ready. But after a moment, the feeling passed and Ruby leaned back again, resting and trying to relax.

Weiss simply sat where she was, noting with mounting relief that Ruby seemed to be getting a bit of her strength back with every passing moment. Now it was just a waiting game, she realised, until Ruby's body had fought off whatever bugs had caused her to get sick in the first place.

"I'm sorry..."

Weiss blinked and looked at Ruby, who had somehow moved so her head was resting on the heiress' shoulder. She felt like smiling seeing her partner like that, but she was more confused than anything right that second.

"What are you talking about? Sorry for what?" Weiss asked with confusion.

Ruby frowned unhappily and closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again, but she wasn't really looking at anything in particular, just staring off into space and collecting her thoughts.

"You were looking forward to that dust lecture...and now you're stuck here looking after me...I know it's selfish, but even though there's no reason for you to stay...I'm...I'm really glad you're here..." Ruby admitted sadly, trying to hold back tears, and ultimately failing.

If Weiss was asked to describe how she felt after hearing Ruby's words just then, she would eventually say she felt like she had been punched by a Death Stalker. She looked down at Ruby with disbelief, shocked that the younger girl could feel that Weiss would rather be somewhere else when someone needed her.

"No...No reason to...why would you think that...?" Weiss breathed her question out slowly, praying that it was something minor that made Ruby think like this.

Unfortunately her worst fear was confirmed when Ruby answered her.

"You're always...saying how I'm wasting your time...and that I'm a dolt...and that you wished I'd go away...and..." Ruby didn't get the chance to finish, because she broke down sobbing, unconsciously trying to pull away from her partner.

As for Weiss, she once again felt her heart breaking with every word Ruby said, her thoughts from this morning coming back into her head and attacking her. She felt absolutely vile, she had been repeatedly hurting such a sweet and kind girl who, while sometimes making mistakes, only wanted one innocent little thing.

To be her friend.

And she never realised until that moment how badly she was hurting Ruby every single day.

That realisation, coupled with the stress of the morning, was more than enough to break Weiss' emotional restraint, and she burst into tears, wrapping her arms around Ruby and hugging her tight.

"Oh Ruby no no no! I'm so sorry! Please I'm sorry! I never meant to hurt you like that! You haven't done anything wrong. You haven't...you..."

She couldn't say anything more, all she could do was hold Ruby tighter as she broke down completely and cried out her grief, and idly noted that Ruby was holding her just as tightly, and crying just as hard.

It just made Weiss cry even harder.

They sat there for what felt like hours, but it could have been mere moments, sobbing uncontrollably in each other's arms, both of them trying to stop crying, but their memories, following an uncannily similar path, showed them both instances in their shared past when Weiss had said something horrible to Ruby, the first time they met, the incident with the bed, when they talked after Professor Port's class...

Ruby was the first to calm down enough to pay attention to her surroundings, and the first thing she concentrated on was the feeling of wetness on her shoulder. It was then she realised a couple of things at the same instance. First was that Weiss was still crying, and second, between her sobs, she kept on whimpering 'I'm sorry' over and over again.

Ruby remembered, vaguely, what Weiss had said before she too succumbed to her tears, and she took comfort in what the white haired girl said, knowing in her heart that Weiss was being honest.

It wasn't possible to cry like that when you were lying.

Without thinking, Ruby started threading her fingers through Weiss' soft hair, feeling the other girl stiffen slightly but soon relax into Ruby's touch. It seemed as if it was slowly working, because after some time, Weiss stopped crying, though she did sniffle a bit longer.

Soon both girls had calmed down and just held each other, almost desperately needing the warm embrace of the other. Weiss eventually steadied her breathing and lifted her head, looking into Ruby's puffy eyes, noticing the traces of tears and gently wiping them away, the action surprising both of them, not only with the unexpectedness, but also the fact that it felt right.

Ruby frowned a little and looked away a little before she spoke again.

"You don't...hate me, do you?"

Weiss clenched her eyes closed as if in pain, and the fact is she was. When they first met, the truth of the matter was she DID hate Ruby, with every fiber of her being. She had sacrificed and studied her whole life and had finally managed to get into beacon, and Ruby, this _child_ had been brought forward two years and invited in by the headmaster himself, just because she fought against a couple of low grade crooks?

But she didn't know Ruby then, she didn't see how special the young brunette was, or how kind she could be. She opened her eyes, noticing that Ruby was looking at her with worry, but in the depths of her silver eyes there was a tiny spark of hope. It was small, but it was there. She shook her head and wiped the tears from her eyes, but gave up when fresh ones fell moments later.

"Of course not...I...I should be asking you that...How can you still want to be...my friend after...everything I've done to you...how?" Weiss' voice was pitiful, even to her own ears, and she sniffed occasionally, but for once, she didn't feel the sting of her pride demanding she be strong.

She realised that her greatest enemy wasn't the Grimm, or any student at Beacon. She finally understood that her greatest weakness above all else was her own stubborn pride. Pride that hurt the precious young girl wrapped in her arms.

Ruby just smiled softly at the heiress, brushing away her own tears. Her stomach twisted a little bit in complaint again, but she did her best to ignore it, there were things she needed to say.

"You...you didn't make it easy, that's for sure." She grinned a little, and silently delighted as Weiss giggled slightly at the joke, and once they had calmed down, she continued.

"I guess, it's because your just like me, you didn't know anyone here, and you were trying to show everyone you could be strong. And yeah...it hurt when you yelled at me...I was trying my best, but..."

Ruby paused a moment to collect her thoughts, covering the act with a sniff, and then she looked at Weiss and smiled. It was a small, honest and pure smile, straight from the heart.

She knew there was only one thing she needed to say.

"You're my partner, I could never hate you."

The heiress listened to her partners words, wincing slightly when Ruby mentioned the yelling, but the last sentence...Weiss couldn't remember being so happy in her entire life. She understood with a moment of utmost clarity, that Ruby was the best partner she could ever hope for, she was honest, she didn't judge, she let a person be themselves, and all she asked for in return was the same courtesy.

Weiss gave Ruby a tearful smile, and took the younger girls hand in her own, weaving their fingers together tenderly and looked into her eyes, the smile fading from her face to be replaced with a serious, somber expression, completely missing the blush on the younger girl's cheeks.

"Ruby, I honestly don't deserve to be your partner, you deserve someone better than me, but I swear, if you let me, I'll make up for every horrible word I've ever said to you a hundred times over, even if it takes me the rest of my life. I'll stay by your side and keep you safe from any darkness in this world. This I vow, as an heiress of the Schnee household."

Ruby couldn't believe what she had just heard, and she had the feeling that if they were standing, then Weiss would have gotten to one knee and presented Myrtenaster to her as if awaiting judgment as she made her vow.

She smiled softly, never feeling as touched and special as she did in that moment. And to Weiss' great surprise, Ruby pulled her into a tight hug, their joined hands pressed between them close to their hearts.

"Just be my friend and everything's forgiven. Pretty sure I just said that." She whispered softly, but her voice rose to a joking tone when she finished speaking. Weiss laughed softly, still crying a little bit and held the other girl warmly, taking a deep breath and finally relaxing, letting go of all the pain she had been feeling for what felt like years.

"Yeah you did...But I'll be your best friend, the best friend you'll ever have."

Ruby just smiled and made a happy sound, knowing exactly what the white haired girl was saying, and the girls simply sat where they were, resting against the headboard of Weiss' bed, enjoying the feeling on their new, stronger friendship.

Ruby winced a little bit and put a hand to her stomach, but relaxed as Weiss just held her close and stroked her hair. She didn't want to move, she was enjoying being with Weiss like this, but her stomach was complaining more and more every time. After another wince, this time coupled with a pained moan, Weiss got up and helped Ruby lay down.

Along with the occasional bouts of pain, Ruby was feeling more and more tired by the moment. What she hadn't been able to say earlier was that she didn't get a good night sleep at all, her stomach complaining all through the night.

As it was, Weis wasn't really surprised when she went to offer Ruby some more water only to notice the girl had fallen asleep. Instead she smiled softly and sat down again, content to just watch her partner rest. And as selfish as it seemed to her at least, she was glad Ruby had drifted off because she needed some time to think through everything that had happened.

When she woke up this morning, she had no idea that the day could progress as it had. When she thought about it, she had felt so many things today such as happiness, fear, anger, grief, and contentment to name but a few, that she had a feeling that even a psychiatrist would be left dizzy.

But no matter how painful the day had been, she wouldn't change a thing. Because despite everything, Weiss had managed to clear the air between herself and Ruby, they had gotten everything off their chests and she had even apologised to Ruby for her horrible behaviour over the last few weeks.

And Weiss had to admit; even she was surprised by her words to Ruby earlier, the vow that she had made. Not at the vow itself, or what it entailed, but how right it felt to say.

The Schnee family put a lot of faith in honour and tradition, and this even extended to following customs that dated back to medieval times. From a very early age, Weiss had been taught that promises were the same as a vow or an oath, and no one in their family would ever dare to promise something to another lightly.

An oath from a member of the Schnee family was the greatest act of friendship they could possibly bestow.

Weiss knew for a fact Ruby didn't realise this, and that the young girl couldn't possibly understand that Weiss had forever tied herself to Ruby. This was a promise she would carry and fulfil until her dying days.

She was more than content with that.

A gentle knock on the door distracted Weiss from her thoughts, and she slowly got up from the bed, making sure that she didn't disturb her slumbering friend.

Satisfied that Ruby was still sleeping, the made her way to the door and opened it to see the concerned face of Professor Ozpin. Weiss raised a finger to her lips in the universal gesture of quiet and stepped outside to speak with the headmaster.

"Sorry sir, she's only just fallen asleep."

Ozpin smiled, obviously glad that Ruby was resting.

"That's good; the only thing we can really do is help her rest. I brought some things that may help." The professor then raised a small bag and opened it for Weiss to inspect, and she noticed that there were some bottles, a packet of something she couldn't identify, and a packet of crackers.

"The packet is flavoured rehydration salts. The doctor said it's important that she keeps hydrated, but also sometimes even water will make someone sick again, the salts will help with that. And if she feels up to eating anything it's best to stick to something easy to digest. The doctor recommended toast but I don't think you have a toaster, do you?"

Weiss smiled a little and shook her head, taking the bag from the professor and bowing gratefully.

"Thank you so much Professor, you're doing so much to help us. I...don't know what to say."

Ozpin himself just shook his head with a tender smile.

"You don't need to say anything. You're showing true dedication to your partner, putting her health and wellbeing above your own commitments. While partners are intended to work well together, it's still rare to see partners who care so much about each other."

Weiss couldn't help but blush slightly at the praise. She also resolved to thank Professor Port sometime, knowing that if he didn't encourage her to be the best person she could be, then the day would have played out very differently.

She was about to re-enter the room and had just opened the door when she turned back curiously.

"Sir, you said the salts are flavoured, what kind of flavour?"

The professor grinned a bit and looked towards the heiress with amusement.

"Apple flavour, it's the sweetest kind they have."

Weiss blinked a bit before she covered her mouth and started giggling. She knew that Ruby loved apples, and she felt blessed to know someone who would be so thoughtful.

She was about to thank the professor again but there was a sudden commotion at the other end of the hall. The professor and heiress looked in that direction and heard rapid feet falls coupled with someone screaming 'Get out of my way!' every few moments.

The blood drained from Weiss' face as she realised what had happened. Yang knew that Ruby wasn't well.

While there wasn't anything wrong with that per-se, the blonde's responses could sometimes be rather excessive. And since Ruby had only just gotten to sleep, Yang's personality would not be a welcomed addition at this moment.

Without any real thought, Weiss stepped into the room, retrieved Myrtenaster, and stepped out again, closing the door gently, and then she turned in the direction the blonde hurricane was coming from, a look of determination on her face. Ozpin raised his eyebrows as Weiss' actions but his focus was distracted as Ruby's sister came barrelling around the corner at a breakneck speed. A few steps behind her a more composed but still concerned Blake gave hot pursuit.

"Move it already!"

Yang's yell was all the provocation Weiss needed, and wielding Myrtenaster in a precise pattern, she extended her hand and produced a circle of white light with the Schnee family crest in the centre, directly in Yang's path.

Unfortunately for Yang, the Glyph was too close, and she was running too fast, and the Blonde girl ended up running full force into the Glyph, bouncing her back a few feet.

"That behaviour is _not_ helpful Yang." Weiss spoke calmly, but firmly, watching as the blonde girl got to her feet with a glare.

"Get out of my way princess. I need to see Ruby!" Yang shouted, and Weiss twitched at the volume, hoping that Ruby didn't wake up.

"That's fine but you need to calm down."

Yang took a step forward and Ozpin stepped back as he saw Yang's lavender eyes turn a bright and violent red. The man also twitched when he heard Yang's own weapons deploying, and a moment later it was clear Ember Celica was ready for action. He knew the sisters were protective of each other, but he had never seen any instance of it before now.

He quietly wished the heiress luck as the two young women stared each other down.

Yang's patience had obviously reached its limits as she raised her right arm to launch an attack; unfortunately, Weiss was expecting exactly that move. Suddenly, Yang found herself immobile, her arms, legs and torso held in place by a series of Glyphs, all of them shimmering a light blue colour. Yang turned her gaze to the heiress to demand she be released but stopped as she saw the tip of Myrtenaster pointed directly between her eyes.

No one dared move, and even Yang kept impossibly still, her eyes very slowly regaining their lavender shade. Weiss for her part kept a malevolent gaze trained on her team mate, waiting until she was sure the blond was calm, before she herself spoke slowly and deliberately.

"Ruby's been extremely sick all day and has only just managed to fall asleep a few minutes ago. I'm more than happy you want to see her, I'm grateful in fact. But if you disturb her when she so obviously needs her rest, I swear, as her partner I will not show you any mercy. Is that clear Miss Yang Xiao Long?"

Yang gulped audibly, not just because of the razor sharp sword less than an inch away from her eyes, but at the threatening tone Weiss spoke with. She had never seen the younger girl so serious about something, especially with regards to protecting Ruby.

As she took a moment to look at Weiss, she blinked in surprise at the heiress' appearance. Her hair was rather frazzled and unkempt, a stark contrast to the normally pristine white locks the girl usually sported. Her school uniform was rumpled and there was a dark patch on her shoulder. More surprising though was Weiss' eyes, they were puffy and bloodshot, a hint of tears clinging to the corners of her Sky blue eyes, and Yang realised that Ruby wasn't the only one having a bad day.

Looking Weiss in the eye, Yang nodded very slightly and very slowly, ever mindful of Myrtenaster. Weiss held their gaze for a moment more before lowering the sword and releasing the Glyphs that restrained the blond woman, who took the opportunity to wipe the sweat from her brow.

Blake took this moment to quietly move over to her partner and put a calm hand on Yang's shoulder, the unexpected contact making Yang jump slightly, but was calmed by the reassuring smile Blake gave her.

"Why don't we go in and see Ruby now?" The amber eyed girl asked softly, trying to ease the residual tension in the corridor.

Ozpin released a breath he had been holding, and looked over to Weiss, noticing that she seemed more drained than she had ever seen her. Looking towards the other girls, he thankfully concluded that the conflict was over. He made a mental note to ask why Weiss had reacted so harshly, but he suspected, given Yang's excessive enthusiasm and concern, that the Blond would have made a lot of noise when entering the room. With a smile, the professor quietly took his leave while the girls were otherwise distracted.

Yang nodded and looked towards Weiss, almost as if waiting for permission, and the white haired girl nodded as well, moving towards the door. As she gripped the handle, she stopped for a moment.

"Yang? Please do me one favour."

Yang blinked and looked briefly at Blake who simply shrugged, before looking back towards Weiss who had a sad, almost imploring look on her face as she met the Blonde's gaze.

"Please...never make me raise Myrtenaster against you again..."

Yang frowned and looked away, feeling bad that she had upset Weiss like this.

"Sorry Weiss, I just...I needed to make sure Ruby's ok, I don't want to fight you..."

Weiss closed her eyes and nodded, opening them again with a small smile, one her other two team mates returned in short order. Opening the door quietly, Weiss was relieved to see that Ruby was still asleep, and she smiled at the others and beckoned them inside, closing the door quietly.

Yang and Blake wasted no time, moving over to either side of Weiss' bed and checking in on Ruby. They saw what she was sweating a little bit, but otherwise seemed comfortable. Blake took the opportunity to check Ruby's temperature, noting quietly that it was a little elevated, but not something that needed concern right at that moment. A moment later Weiss stepped next to Yang and started pouring a small amount of the salts into one of the water bottles, making sure to gently shake the bottle so the salts properly dissolved.

"So what happened, Weiss? When did you notice Ruby wasn't well?" Blake asked, her voice even gentler and softer than usual, mindful of waking their youngest team mate.

Weiss winced a little, remembering today's events was awkward enough, but she really didn't want to have to explain everything. But at the same time, she knew her team mates deserved the truth.

Trying to keep herself impassive, Weiss began to explain everything, from the moment she got in the door that morning, to when Blake and Yang had turned up. She didn't explain the details of the emotional discussions she had with Ruby, she only said that they had managed to clear the air and left it at that.

For some reason she felt that Ruby wasn't going to tell anyone what they talked about either. The entire conversation felt...private, personal. Weiss wasn't embarrassed or ashamed at what she said, but she didn't want to tell other people about it.

After she finished her story, Weiss was surprised to feel Yang take her into a tender hug, the blonde's head resting on her forehead.

"Thank you Weiss, Thank you for looking after Ruby. She hates being alone, especially when she's sick. Just...Thank you." Yang spoke gently, and while Weiss blushed, she didn't try to push the blonde away. She saw that Yang meant every word and was more than grateful that Weiss had been there to take care of her sister. Weiss smiled and wrapped her arms around Yang in a friendly hug.

After that the girls all took up spots on or next to Weiss' bed, talking quietly while they watched over Ruby. They shared stories, chatted amicably about all sorts of topics and generally just relaxed. Sometimes Blake and Yang would smile a little as they saw Weiss stroke Ruby's hair, but neither of them commented, knowing it would embarrass the girls.

They could wait until Ruby was better before they started the teasing.

Some time passed in this fashion, and after everyone had taken the opportunity to change into their regular outfits, they set about doing their own thing while staying next to Ruby. Blake had picked up a book and was reading, Yang was writing some things down in a notebook, and Weiss was still watching over Ruby, rising a little whenever the young girl moved even slightly.

"Weiss...?"

Ruby's quiet voice caught the attention of everyone in the room, and the girls dropped everything they were doing and moved closer to Ruby. The young girl herself blinked in surprise when she saw everyone around her, and blushed a little when she saw the smiles on Blake and Yang's faces.

That view usually meant trouble.

"Hey there little sis, how ya feeling?" Yang asked, rubbing Ruby's cheek affectionately.

Ruby smiled a bit and looked back at her sister, then to Blake before her gaze rested on the eyes of her partner. Weiss felt that Ruby's eyes might have gotten a little softer when she looked at Weiss, but she couldn't be sure. But what she COULD feel was a small blush warming her cheeks.

"I'm feeling really tired...and a little hungry." Ruby offered softly, blushing as her sister chuckled.

"That's my baby sister! Can't think of anything other than food!"

"At least she's getting her appetite back, Yang. That's a good sign." Blake pointed out kindly, earning a sweet smile from Ruby.

Weiss sat back with a smile as she watched the banter, and shook her head to rid herself of the brief feeling of longing. As sad as it was, she knew that in the morning, even if Ruby wasn't completely better, that things would be different. She knew that she had been acting differently today.

Spending so much time looking after someone, smiling, trading jokes, and even crying...it just wasn't her. A small part of her, a part she fought down immediately, wanted to be angry at Ruby for making her feel so weak and pathetic. While the days stress may have been enough to batter her pride into submission, the heiress knew that it was only temporary, and that she would soon be snapping at Ruby for the smallest of transgressions.

But goddess help her...with all her heart, she wanted things to stay exactly as they are for as long as possible.

Weiss snapped herself back to reality and thought it best to work, and picked up the packet of crackers and the bottle of water with the salts Ozpin had given her earlier.

"I've got something if you want a bite to eat Ruby. It's nothing special; we have to be careful of your stomach right now. But it'll help a little."

Ruby just nodded a little and immediately Blake reached over the help her sit up. After settling, Weise handed Ruby a cracker and watched the brunette eat slowly. However Weiss couldn't help the wry smile that graced her face when Ruby pulled a face at the dry taste.

"Uhgh...tastes like cardboard..."

Her friends chuckled in sympathy, but Ruby had to eat something, so she didn't complain much. She continued taking small bites of the cracker, taking her time, not wanting her stomach to revolt in protest.

Weiss poured some of the treated water into the cup and handed it to Ruby, hiding her smile and waiting to see her partners face when she drank the water. The second she saw Ruby's eyes widen at the sweet taste she couldn't keep the smile from her face, and chuckled when Ruby hummed happily.

"But this doesn't! When did you get apple juice?" Ruby asked, her eyes shining brightly.

"Ozpin gave me some rehydration salts with apple flavouring, he thought it would help."

Ruby just smiled with a small blush and went back to her meal. She had more sips of the water than she did the crackers, but what the others were more pleased with was the fact that she was keeping everything down.

Just after Ruby handed the cup back to Weiss, she released a heavy yawn, and blinked her eyes sleepily.

"You ok sis?" Yang asked, a little concerned by the sudden yawn. Ruby's smile soon helped her relax though.

"Just tired, Yang, I think I should get some more sleep."

"You do whatever you need to ok? We'll be right here." Blake stated kindly, brushing some of Ruby's bangs from her eyes. Ruby nodded and settled back into the bed, relaxing and taking a deep breath. Everyone else just sat watching Ruby relax until the peace and quiet was disturbed by a knock on the door.

"Oh who could that be?" Yang's irritation was obvious, and she marched over to the door and opened it, quietly but quickly, intent on determining who was about to disturb her sister, but her reprimand died on her lips when she saw Ozpin standing patiently on the other side of the door, flanked by Glynda Goodwitch.

"Miss Xiao Long, how is she?" Ozpin greeted with a friendly smile, Glenda herself nodding kindly.

"Oh err, sir, s-she's fine...err..." Yang found the situation entirely uncomfortable. She remembered her dad saying that she could be a little too impulsive, and those words came back to bite her in the proverbial with a resounding sting. After all, she was about to have a go at the schools headmaster, someone who had gone far out of his way to help her sister. She was saved a moment later when Weiss came to the door and spotted the professor.

"Sir, Ruby's just gone back to sleep. Is everything ok?" The heiress asked quietly but curiously.

Glynda nodded and stepped forward slightly, bringing up a small folder and handing it to Weiss.

"We've finished checking the students and classes, and three other students were found during recess earlier, all of them showing minor symptoms. That brings the total number of students affected by this situation to twelve. Professor Ozpin and I were about to pay the company a visit, and we wanted to know if you still wanted to come along."

Weiss' eyes narrowed darkly and she nodded decisively, reaching over to the shelf and grabbing Myrtenaster and sheathing it at her waist decisively.

"Of course, I've been waiting for this."

End of Chapter 2


	3. A dish served cold

Yang's eyes widened a bit, and she was glad that she wasn't the one about to get a visit from the trio before her. The white haired girls tone was, in a word, deadly, and even colder than anything Yang had ever heard of.

Ozpin nodded and moved away from the door a step, beckoning Weiss to join them. "We have a car ready and we should be able to-"

"Weiss...!?"

The professor stopped talking when a worried voice called out inside the dorm room, and he blinked when the aforementioned girl practically teleported back into the room and kneeled next to her partner, who now seemed rather distressed. Ozpin and Goodwitch looked at each other in surprise, but decided to stay where they were.

"Where are you going?" Ruby looked up at Weiss, her eyes wide with worry, bordering on fright.

Weiss was taken aback by the look on her partners face, and tried to compose herself. She knew that Ruby wouldn't like it if she heard Weiss was going out to get revenge for what had happened to her, but Weiss couldn't just sit still and let this happen again. Her vow to Ruby demanded no less.

"I have to go and take care of something with Professor Ozpin, Ruby I promise I won't be long, ok?"

As she spoke Weiss gently stroked Ruby's cheek, trying to calm down. Her eye twitched a little when Ruby didn't seem appeased at all.

"But you didn't go to your lecture earlier, why do you have to go now?" The young girl asked, missing the wince the heiress just managed to hide. She knew she was busted, but she wasn't going to admit it without a struggle.

"Well it's...I mean I have to-!" Weise was struggling to think of a plausible reason to explain her departure when Ruby snaked her hands out from under the cover and took Weiss' free hand in hers, holding tightly, and causing the heiress to stop speaking in surprise. When she looked back at Ruby's eyes, she could see her partner was only just holding back tears, and Weiss found she couldn't speak.

"Please...don't go..."

Blake and Yang looked at each other worriedly, not knowing what was going to happen. They were expecting Weiss to pull her hand away from Ruby and say she couldn't stay behind, that she had something important to do. And they knew that if that happened it would wound Ruby deeply. Ozpin and Goodwitch kept a discreet distance but couldn't help but peer into the room, trying to see what was going to happen.

As for Weiss and Ruby, they were unaware of anything around them. Ruby's quiet, tearful plea had shattered the older girl's resolve, and she couldn't bring herself to try and play off what she had to do.

"Ruby...I don't want to leave, but...I have to. Ozpin's going to see the company that did the food last night and I have to make sure they never do this to anyone else again. I can't let them get away with doing this to you." Every word Weiss spoke was quiet, soft and slow, not as if she was making them up, but she was struggling to speak them when faced with Ruby's scared eyes.

More than likely Ruby had, in her unwell state, grown attached to her partners presence, and subconsciously feared that if Weiss wasn't there, then she would get sick again. The thought made Weiss twitch, because Ruby never acted like this, she was always so independent.

It was a testament to how unwell and tired the girl really was, her defences down so completely, that she needed her partner to stay that badly.

Weiss' eyes, which were shimmering in indecision, calmed with the thought. She couldn't stay.

"But it's just a stomach bug! You don't need to go see them because of that!" Ruby said desperately, seeing Weiss close her eyes.

The older girl's next words stopped the argument cold.

"Ruby...food poisoning can be fatal."

Ruby's eyes went wide at that, and she could barely breathe. She had heard of someone eating something that gave them food poisoning, but she had never heard of anyone dying from the condition. She was about to rebut the comment, saying Weiss was mistaken, but when Weiss opened her eyes, Ruby could see the seriousness in the sky blue depths, and she shivered.

Now she understood why Weiss was determined to go with the headmaster.

She looked up to Yang and Blake, who had come over to stand with her partner, and Ruby saw the bibliophile nod her head gravely.

"She's right Ruby, most cases are relatively minor, yours was a moderate reaction, but in some extreme cases, food poisoning can kill, that's why it's not a small matter."

Weiss looked towards her team mate and nodded gratefully, it was hard enough to say that the condition could kill; she wouldn't have been able to explain more. She looked back down to Ruby, seeing the young girl close her eyes miserably and shiver. Without any conscious thought, Weise gently freed her hand from Ruby's, removed her jacket and tucked it around the girl's shoulders. Ruby opened her eyes and looked up at Weiss with confusion, but Weiss didn't say anything.

She couldn't bring herself to think of the reason for her actions.

"I promised you, I vowed, that I'd make up for what I've done to you, and that means making sure that this never happens to you again, and failing that, making sure that those responsible are punished. I swear I won't hurt anyone, as much as I may want to, but I _cannot_ let this go."

Ruby closed her eyes and whimpered a bit, but eventually, and very reluctantly, she nodded. She opened her eyes and spoke to Weiss as the older girl got to her feet.

"Come back soon." She whispered, smiling weakly, even as she saw Weiss smile gently in return.

"I promise." She said warmly, and giving into a sudden impulse, she leaned down and planted a soft, quick kiss on Ruby's forehead.

Their witnesses blinked repeatedly at the sight, and Ruby and Weiss blushed fiercely, but Weiss quickly straightened and marched out of the room, brushing past her extremely surprised teachers.

She was half way down the corridor before her cheeks stopped burning, but the redness would not fade from her complexion. 'Where did THAT come from!?' she screamed at herself, knowing that she was not the kind for overt sentimentality. She continued to struggle with the question as she distantly noticed that Ozpin and Goodwitch had caught up to her, but was grateful when the professors didn't ask any questions.

They maintained a good pace and soon found themselves at the academy's main entrance, the hustle and bustle of students catching Weiss off guard. She looked up and noticed that the clock above the lobby indicated it was only 15:47.

"I thought it would be later..." She breathed quietly, to which Ozpin simply smiled gently.

"Well you have had a rather eventful day. It's no surprise you lost track of time."

Weiss could only nod and the trio started talking again. However they only managed to get to the base of the steps before Weiss stopped, hearing her name being called urgently.

"WEISS! Hey wait up!" Yang yelled, charging down the corridor as fast as her legs could carry her, an odd red blur trailing behind her.

Weiss initially thought that the blonde girl was bringing Ruby down to try and convince her to stay again, and she felt herself tense in anger at the blonde's stupidity, but as Yang reached the heiress and panted for a moment, Weiss' anger faded to confusion when she noticed that Yang was holding Ruby's red hooded cloak in her hand.

"Yang? What are you doing? Is Blake with Ruby?" Weiss asked, worried that her partner had been left alone.

Yang took a few more moments to catch her breath before nodding and waving her hand in the universal 'don't worry' gesture, and Weiss immediately calmed down.

"Whew! You walk really fast you know that? Yeah Blake's in the room, Ruby's still kinda' upset but she's strong, she can handle it."

"Then why did you chase after us Miss Xiao long?" Glynda asked, still confused at the entire incident, this event only adding to the headache building behind her eyes.

"Huh? Oh right! Here Weiss, Ruby wants' you to take this with you." The blonde smiled and moved towards Weiss, draping the cloak over the young woman's surprised shoulders.

"But...Yang, I-I-I couldn't presume to..." Weiss tried to argue back, feeling immensely uncomfortable with the gesture. As much as she wanted to though, she couldn't bring herself to pull the cloak off and return it to the other girl. In fact, after a moment she held the edges of the cloak and pulled it closed around herself, and immediately felt warm and safe. She started to get an idea why Ruby liked wearing the cloak so much.

"And Blake asked me to give this to you. She said you'd know what do with it. And she said something else; if you asked where she got this, she said to say 'Don't ask; just use it if you need to.' I have NO idea what she's talking about." Yang said, handing Weiss a folded piece of paper.

Weiss looked at the note curiously and was about to open it before thinking better of it and slipping it into her pocket. She then looked at Yang with a small, heartfelt smile.

"Thank you Yang. For everything." And Weiss stepped back and curtsied for the blond huntress.

Yang just chucked and waved it off, favouring the other girl with an evil grin that made Weiss shiver.

"Just break something for me and we'll be square. Now I gotta get back up there, get all the juicy gossip on how my baby sis managed to melt the Ice Queen's heart and get a kiss! Ciao Juliette!" Yang called in a sing song voice, blowing the flustered Heiress a kiss before running off faster than Weiss could react. After a moment, Weiss grit her teeth and bellowed out to Yang who was still laughing as she disappeared.

"How dare you, you, you uncouth FIEND!"

Weiss stood seething in the middle of the lobby, her shoulders rising and falling in furious breaths. After a moment though she turned around, her eyes shut tight, and a humiliated blush adorning half her face.

"I will kill her when we return. Please lead the way professor!"

The teachers wisely kept their smiles hidden as they continued outside, and all of them got into the waiting car, Glynda taking the driver's seat, while Weiss got into the back with Ozpin. As they got underway, Weiss leaned her head against the head rest and released a long, exhausted breath, closing her eyes and relishing the quiet.

"What a day..." She muttered quietly to herself, hardly surprised when she heard Ozpin chuckle in agreement.

"I don't doubt it. Do you want something? Coffee? Fruit? I doubt you've had anything to eat since breakfast." Ozpin was quite surprised when Weiss shook her head slightly from side to side for a moment, and his concern grew with the young woman's explanation.

"I didn't even have breakfast this morning; I was planning on making sure Ruby was up this morning before going to the cafeteria. That plan didn't last though, obviously. I'll have something in a little while though, I just need to rest my eyes for a moment if I may."

Just from her tone of voice, it was clear that Weiss was exhausted. Ozpin simply smiled before catching Glynda's eye in the rear view mirror, nodding purposefully. Glynda, for her part, smiled gently and turned the car down the main road, taking a longer route to give the heiress a chance to rest.

After about ten minutes, Weiss opened her eyes again and took a breath, turning to look at the professor who simply smiled and held out a cup of coffee. Weiss smiled appreciatively and took the offered cup, taking a slow sip and enjoying the flavour and aroma, feeling herself able to truly relax for the first time since this whole nightmare started.

As she sipped her drink, she suddenly remembered the mysterious note from Blake, and fished it out of her pocket a moment later. It turned out to be a list, various names and a collection of numbers, but that's all there was.

"Those look like serial numbers. Why would Miss Belladonna give them to you?" Ozpin asked curiously. He didn't intend to invade Weiss' privacy, but he couldn't contain his curiosity, considering the confused look sported by the girl as she read the paper over and over.

"I don't know. She must have had a reason..." Weiss muttered, before shaking her head and folding the page and replacing it in her pocket. There was something familiar about the numbers though, however she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

The car remained comfortably silent as Glynda navigated the Vale traffic. They seemed to be making good time, but Weiss suddenly remembered that she didn't know where they were heading. However professor Ozpin spoke up, as if reading Weiss' thoughts.

"We're heading to the office of Guardman's Catering, the company we hired for the party. It shouldn't take much longer for us to get there. They were paid a rather substantial sum for their services, but I think that money could be better spent on new equipment for the Arena. For starters at least."

Weiss looked towards the professor, her eyes narrowed slightly. Ozpin was just going there for a refund?

"And getting the academy's money back makes up for this, how exactly?" The heiress couldn't keep the snark from her tone, finding Ozpin's plan of action sorely lacking. She would have continued if Glynda hadn't interceded.

"Please mind your tone Miss Schnee. The professor knows what he is doing and does not need to be criticized by you." Glynda spoke firmly, her tone making Weiss wince.

"It's alright Glynda, there's no need to be so harsh. However she is right Miss Schnee. By the time I'm finished with them, I doubt they'd be able to afford enough to make a pizza." The professor's words were calm yet firm to both women, but as he explained further, his tone grew darker.

"This company incapacitated twelve of my students because of negligence, or at the least carelessness. And they have done it twice now. I don't take this kind of slight lightly."

Weiss looked towards the professor, feeling mildly ashamed at her previous words. How could she forget everything he had done for Ruby since he came to their dorm this morning? Most headmasters would have told them to go to the infirmary and washed their hands of the situation until the next staff meeting.

"I'm sorry sir...I didn't mean to...imply you cared only for the money." Weise spoke quietly, looking down in shame. She raised her head in surprise though when the professor chuckled, her eyes meeting his.

"Given the day you've had, I think I can let that slide, just this once. All I ask is that you don't make a habit of it. I should have made my intent clear, so allow me to set your mind at ease: Guardman's Catering will be closed down by the time we leave. You have my word." Ozpin maintained his gaze and Weiss felt immensely glad that she was not on the receiving end of the man's displeasure. She almost felt sorry for Guardman's Catering.

Almost.

A moment passed before Weiss nodded, accepting the Professors word. Ozpin himself simply smiled for a moment before turning towards Glynda.

"I need to speak to Miss Schnee in private for a moment Glynda, please excuse us."

"Of course sir, we'll be at our destination in about tem more minutes." Glynda replied kindly, and she met her colleague's eye in the rear view mirror, smiling before she raised the privacy screen. After a moment, there was nothing but quiet in the back of the car, and Weiss looked towards the professor with a touch of apprehension.

"Weiss, I don't mean to make you uncomfortable, but I have to ask you something incredibly personal. How do you feel about Ruby?" Ozpin looked at Weiss with a solemn expression, and he frowned when he saw the young woman start squirming.

"What...What do you mean? Sh-she's my partner, of course..." Weise replied uncomfortably, having an idea what the professor was implying, but she privately hoped he wouldn't ask anything more.

She wasn't ready to examine the question in detail, afraid of what she might realize herself.

"Miss Schnee...you spent the entire day looking after Ruby, almost in tears because you didn't know what was wrong with her. You're going with me to shut down the company responsible for putting her in this predicament. You even threatened Ruby's sister with physical harm because she would have disturbed Ruby's rest. No one acts this way for just a 'partner', no matter how close they are."

Weiss lowered her head until her bangs concealed her eyes, not wanting to listen, but she couldn't deny that he was right. She unconsciously wrapped herself in Ruby's cloak, as if trying to protect herself, and the sight made Ozpin close his eyes sadly. He took a breath and sat back, gathering his thoughts.

"A partnership like those practiced at Beacon is intended to match individuals who will benefit each other. Of course this leads the pair in question to connect in a way that is beyond simple friendship. However when things grow beyond even that connection, while it may be a source of strength, it can be a cause of great pain. If you do follow the path I believe you are starting to see, you will face many difficult trials. And it will be impossible for you to return to how things were."

The professor spoke gently and slowly, letting Weiss absorb every word. He could have sworn he heard a quiet noise coming from one side of the car, but decided it must have come from outside.

As for Weiss, she didn't know what to do. She remembered every single instance where she was with Ruby in one way or another. Most were memories she couldn't stand to re-live, and they made her want to cry. She silently wiped her nose with her handkerchief, praying the headmaster didn't hear her.

But the other memories were more pleasant, Ruby talking to her about her time at Signal academy, and designing Crescent Rose for example. At the time she tried to seem indifferent, but she secretly listened to every word Ruby spoke, committing them to memory.

And when she remembered the events of today, it made her even more confused, especially when she remembered giving Ruby that kiss before leaving. She hadn't thought about doing anything like that before, with Ruby or anyone else. And she was completely shocked when she realised what she had been doing. But she couldn't bring herself to say she didn't enjoy the contact.

She couldn't lie to herself.

When Weiss was with Ruby, even when she was hyperactive, Weiss felt good, as if she was home. She felt needed, cared for, wanted, as if she herself mattered rather than her title.

With Ruby...she didn't feel alone.

But could she possibly feel more than that? Weiss honestly didn't know. It wasn't as if she was repulsed by the thought. Decades ago, same gender romances were shunned and discriminated against all over the world, just as the Faunus were discriminated against now. But as people's understanding had grown, so had their tolerance, and now there was only a hand full of people in the entire kingdom who still argued that same gender couples were wrong.

Weiss felt a sudden stab of loathing as she thought of the Faunus, her thoughts straying to the White Fang and their vendetta against her family's business. So many lives taken for no reason...she could hardly stand to think about it.

She briefly hoped that the Faunus situation could be resolved as positively, sometime very soon, and that the white fang would be brought to justice for their crimes, but she quickly shook off the thought and went back to thinking about the airheaded girl who had somehow turned her life upside down.

"I...I don't know...how I feel for Ruby...she...she drives me crazy most of the time...but, even so...no one else has ever...stayed with me for so long before leaving. Ruby, she...she makes me feel...special..."

Her admission was so silent that Ozpin had to strain to hear it. But while not the positive response he was hoping for, it was better than he expected. He glanced over to Weiss, noticing that the heiress was hugging her knees tightly, as if expecting a reprimand or scorn.

"The path I mentioned before is immensely difficult. There is risk, like any other venture. But at the same time, the rewards can be more valuable than any possession. Because if you do follow this path, you will never be alone."

The two sat in the car, hardly moving. Weiss' mind was all but spinning, not sure what to think. Yet again the professor's every word was true. She knew that if she did pursue a relationship with Ruby, then the younger girl would instantly become the most important person in Weiss' young like, and vice versa.

But Weiss had fought desperately for the opportunity to attend Beacon, and gain some measure of independence, to not be shadowed by attendants and instructors, or even her father, a man who, while loving towards his daughter, was rather clueless when it came to her personal needs.

Weiss still wasn't able to come to any sort of decision when she felt the car slow to a stop, and when she looked up, she noticed that Ozpin had lowered the privacy screen. As she looked out of the window, she saw the unimposing offices that comprised Guardman's Catering. Instantly, Weiss pushed her confusion aside and her eyes drew down in anger. All the stress, worry, confusion, frustration...

Now was the time to unleash it.

Her stomach growled slightly and without missing a beat, Ozpin handed the heiress an apple from the basket at the side. Weiss paused a second before accepting it, noticing the bright red colour of the piece of fruit. Weise bit into the apple, moaning quietly at the sweet taste and the satisfying crunch.

She did her best to ignore the thought that floated through her head, that bright red, sweet, and a sharp bite, they could all be used to describe her partner.

As Ozpin exited the vehicle, Weiss followed his lead, quickly finishing the apple and taking step next to him, idly noticing that Glynda stood on the professors other side. They stepped up to the door and Ozpin knocked sharply, waiting with, admittedly limited, patience for someone to answer the door.

After a moment, the door opened and a rather angry man looked at the assembled group, but noting their high quality clothes and strong bearing, his expression twisted into a smile, no doubt intended to be friendly and inviting, but the Beacon Academy residents found it somewhat sickening.

"We are hoping to speak to the company director, is that possible?" Glynda asked, wanting to get the pleasantries out of the way as quickly.

"Why yes of course, please come in. Would your daughter like anything?" The man asked, motioning to Weiss.

"No thank you, and I am not their daughter." The heiress responded curtly, noting the man's eyebrow quirking in slight confusion.

"Ah I see. Then you must be their maid or attendant? No natter no matter. Please come in all of you." The man all but gushed, inviting the trio inside with a sweeping gesture. Ozpin and Glenda in the meantime were trying desperately to control their facial expressions, and made a point of not looking anywhere near the young woman, lest she spot the smiles the teachers tried to conceal. Weiss for her part attempted to keep her indignation under control, but it was exceedingly difficulty.

Being mistaken for the daughter of Ozpin and Goodwitch was one thing, but being called an attendant? A MAID!?

Weiss's lip curled up slightly in a truly evil little smirk; vengeance would be sweet indeed.

They stepped inside and the rather unpleasant looking man knocked on the door then went to sit down at his desk, obviously he was the secretary or receptionist. Ozpin took a discreet look around and considering what he was seeing, he decided to have a very intense shower when he got back home. While it wasn't noticeable at a glance, the corners of the walls had traces of mould, and the carpets looked as if they had only been vacuumed, but not cleaned in a very long time.

There were also traces of stains on the walls that were not easy to identify, and if anything seemed like food stains, possibly even blood.

Glancing back to his companions he noticed they had moved closer to him, their faces twisting slightly in distaste. It was clear that they were feeling dirty just being in this room as well.

After a moment a rather heavyset man opened the inner door and came out, the obvious annoyance at the disruption vanishing as he saw the prospective customers.

"Good afternoon, welcome to Guardman's Catering. I'm Noir Guardman." The man beamed, holding out his hand to Ozpin, who shook it briefly with a controlled expression.

"Hello, my name is Ozpin, I'm the headmaster of Beacon Academy. This is my associate Glynda Goodwitch and one of my student's, Weiss." The professor greeted, indicating the women at his side, who both nodded cordially.

"Beacon? Wow this is an honour! I hope that you enjoyed out services for your event last night!"

Noir was beyond pleased; if the headmaster was visiting personally then his staff must have made an impression. Already Guardman was picturing the Lien he could earn, anticipating Ozpin wanting to book his services in the future. He walked into his office, beckoning the group to join him

The man's smile faded, as he turned around and noticed his guests were giving him a severe look of vexation.

"Actually, that's what we are here to discuss. Mr Guardman, could you please tell us about your health and safety standards please?" Weiss spoke up, Ozpin nodding at the end of the girl's question.

"With respect my dear, I fail to see why you would need to ask that, our client list and reputation speak for itself." Noir stated with an affronted air. He also felt a cold trickle of sweat run down the back of his neck, and he remembered the yelling match that morning when he was told one of the staff who attended the function at Beacon saying that one of her team had been drunk.

Noir Guardman didn't care what his staff did, as long as nothing negative could be traced back to him. In the unlikely event that something did happen however, a quiet under the counter...contribution, usually made the problem go away.

"If you wouldn't mind answering my students question Mr Guardman. There has been an incident that we are looking into. Several of my students have come down with moderate to severe food poisoning."

Ozpin's eyes burned with obvious anger, and Noir took a step back, his face growing pale with sudden panic.

"F-food p-p-poisoning? Surely you m-must be j-joking!"

Glenda folded her arms with a dark expression, and fixed the stammering man with a livid gaze.

"Do we look like we are joking? Twelve students through several classes did not attend lessons this morning, and this has caused severe distress and upset for their classmates...their friends." Glynda stated, casting a slightly softer glance at Weiss as she finished speaking. Weiss nodded, appreciating the acknowledgment.

Ozpin took over at this point, pressing his glasses into place and Noir flinched at the malevolent glint from the frames.

"One of the students said the only thing she ate was a sample of chicken that was a 'little pink', and this has been verified by some of the other students and an examination of the leftover food. Much of it was fine, but there were a few examples of undercooked foods, meats, dairy products, even vegetables."

Noir twitched with every word from the headmaster, and made a mental note to deduct the pay of every single person who attended the Beacon event. The academy was a very high value client, and he didn't want a lucrative contract taking their business elsewhere.

"I'm so sorry to hear about this, I can't believe that my staff allowed this to happen, it's just unthinkable! Are you sure that it was my staff who cooked the dishes in question?" The man asked, trying to find a straw that could save him.

At the withering glare he received from Ozpin, he finally realised just how much trouble he was in.

"We are _quite_ sure who was responsible for this _blunder_ Mr Guardman. There has _never_ been a case of food poisoning, or even a case of undercooked food in the academy's history. Our staff is made up of highly trained professionals, and the mere fact that you asked that question tells me that you were trying to pass the blame off to someone else, as well as the fact that you must be aware of something like this happening in the past!" Ozpin's growl was savage, and he made sure to emphasise some of his words in that statement.

"P-p-please Mr Ozpin! It's an accident! You know how hectic last minute functions like those are! We don't have the staff on call every day and night!" Noir pleaded, trying to weasel out of the situation.

"If that were true, then why is this the SECOND time our students have gotten sick after an event you catered for!? Two years ago the same thing happened; four students were incapacitated for nearly a week!" Glynda's yell made Noir cringe and back away, worry for his safety starting to pierce his greedy little mind.

"My team mate was throwing up almost all morning since the second she got out of bed, and crying almost nonstop when she had finished, even coming close to screaming as her stomach tried to tie itself into knots." Weiss spoke darkly, her voice only above a whisper, but it managed to be more frightening than any shout Ozpin or Glynda could have ever produced.

Noir finally broke down sobbing, playing his last desperate card. He collapsed on the floor and bowed in front of the Trio, blubbering and begging for forgiveness, mentally remembering to fire the staff he was thinking about before.

"STOP snivelling and get up man!" Ozpin shouted, satisfied that the man almost jumped to his feet, but he was still crying pitifully.

"Now, let's get the minutia out of the way shall we?" Ozpin said, unsurprised when Noir suddenly stopped crying.

"Minutia?" Weiss was very satisfied by the genuinely worried undertone lacing Noir's voice.

"Indeed. The payment for the Events at Beacon you have catered for. Please refund them. Immediately." Ozpin's voice brooked no argument, and his gaze was steady and focused.

Of course, he was still dealing with someone whose only concern was money.

"Now wait just a moment-!"

"It will go some way to alleviating the distress of the students this screw up has caused." Goodwitch stated, her mouth curling into a satisfied smile.

"You can't do that! I got paid for services rendered and we operate a no refund policy!" Noir argued, his facade of fear and distress long gone, replaced by total outrage and fury.

Ozpin took a step closer and the two men were almost nose to nose, locked in a heated stare down.

"You will find that I'm capable of a great many things." Was the malevolent response.

No one was surprised when Noir blinked first and backed down.

"Alright fine, I'll refund the money, now just go alright?" The man cried, defeat clear in his eyes.

"I'm afraid we aren't done. Glynda, how much compensation do you think would be needed?" Ozpin turned to Goodwitch, smirking as he heard Noir suck in a frantic breath.

"Compensation!?"

Glynda's eyes were thoughtful for a moment, before she smiled pleasantly.

"For the disruption to the school, the medical costs, administrative fees, plus emotional harm inflicted on the effected students, I'd say about 20,000 Lien each should about cover it. With all the students from today and two years ago included, I think that comes to 320,000 Lien, after taxes, naturally."

Weiss' eyes were going wide at the masterful display being performed in front of her eyes. She had initially thought that this was going to be a sit down, everyone acting friendly, and handing over cheques sort of event. The reality was far different, and she quietly delighted at watching the disgusting man almost foaming at the mouth in disbelief and outrage, even as Ozpin's only response was to ask Glynda to show him her math later.

"How dare you think I'll pay a single coin of that absurd amount! If you had any concrete proof whatsoever you'd have taken it to Vale's health and safety committee! But you have nothing don't you? Just the word of a handful of snivelling little brats with tummy aches!"

Weiss' eyes widened as a final piece of the puzzle loudly clicked into place inside her mind, and while Noir was distracted by the still smirking teachers, Weise pulled out the piece of paper Blake wanted her to see, her smile growing as she finally remembered what exactly it was she was seeing. She let out a quiet chuckle which caught the attention of the other adults in the room.

"And what exactly is so funny princess!?" Noir yelled, hoping to cow the girl with an act of intimidation.

He in fact took a step back when Weiss' eyes locked on the man, their blue depths filled with unstoppable resolve, and smouldering anger.

"It's 'heiress' actually, more specifically heiress to one of the largest producers of refined Dust and chemical propellants in this world. Weiss SCHNEE." Weiss hoped that Blake wouldn't mind the paraphrasing, but it was difficult to keep the smile off of her face, especially as Weiss saw the look on Noir's face transform from outrage and anger, to primal terror in no time flat when she emphasised her family name.

"The Schnee Dust Company..." Noir breathed, knowing that he was standing in front of one of the most powerful people in the city.

And she had a grudge against him.

"That's exactly right. And the subject I found so amusing is what you said about the health and safety committee. You see, one of my other team mates handed me a list with some rather interesting information, a list of fourteen names and serial numbers. I now know exactly what they are. They aren't serial numbers; they are Health and safety internal reference numbers. All with the same starting prefix. I'd be very surprised if this number did not match with your business's registration information."

Ozpin looked at Weiss, his eyes wide with awe and surprise. If he was honest, he knew he was bluffing, trying to get Noir to cave to his demands. He wanted to handle the situation quickly and privately, only going to a higher authority if he didn't have any other choice. But that route would have taken months to complete, and there was no guarantee that the case against Noir would have been successful.

He thought back to the list in Weiss' hand and couldn't believe he had missed the formatting of the reference number; documents heading to the city council from Beacon had a similar number stamped in the corner.

As the headmaster, he had to sign every last one of them.

_'Very impressive Miss Schnee. But...how did Miss Belladonna get that information?_' He wondered with complete befuddlement, a question Goodwitch was also struggling with until they were distracted by the verbal Armageddon Weiss was unleashing.

"Should I call the council and ask what those reference numbers pertain to? Surely they wouldn't have anything to do with health and safety examinations would they?" Weiss asked in a calm, almost friendly tone, one that belied the piercing look she gave Noir, who by this point was shaking.

"You can't do this!"

"Oh I assure you I can. And I believe you know that the very SECOND 15 health and safety reference numbers are listed in a file, the city shuts down the business in question? Bearing that in mind, Professor Ozpin's proposal is a small price."

End of Chapter 3


	4. Acceptance

Noir looked desperately towards Ozpin and Goodwitch, silently pleading for help, but to his horror he saw both adults had folded their arms and were glaring at him with distain.

"B-but even with everything I have, I don't have 320,000 lien!" The man cried, and for once he sounded completely honest.

"I wouldn't worry about leaving enough to spare for running costs, as far as I'm concerned this establishment is finished." Ozpin spoke, and Noir started crying once again, and this time, his tears were sincere.

He knew that Ozpin alone had enough power at his disposal to shatter his business into a thousand pieces. Even if the man didn't, nothing would stop Weiss Schnee from using her influence to annihilate the company he had built from the ground up, by hook or most commonly, by crook.

"What...what if I signed the deed over as well as my assets?" Noir asked miserably, seeing no possible way out.

Ozpin however snorted.

"Do you really think Beacon wants to be associated with such a sub-par establishment such as this? The 'Deed' wouldn't be worth the paper it's printed on!" The man raged. He was brought up short as Weiss spoke again.

"Sign it over to me."

The adults looked over at Weiss with a look of incredulity. The young woman herself had just put her phone back into the pouch resting at the small of her back, and she folded her arms impatiently.

"Your assets go to Beacon and this company is now mine. Take the deal or deal with the headmaster. The offer expires in 10 seconds so make up your mind."

Noir sweated as the heiress tapped her foot, and then started counting down.

"5...4...3-"

"OK ok I'll sign!" Noir screamed and launched himself into his office draw faster than the trio could follow.

"What are you doing Weiss?" Glenda asked quietly, not seeing Ozpin nod in agreed confusion.

Weiss just smiled sweetly.

"Just wait, I have an idea." She whispered quietly.

As Noir finished fishing out the deed and the other documentation to transfer possession of assets and ownership, Weiss stepped forward, pointedly ignoring the pen offered by the still snivelling businessman, and signing it with one she retrieved from her pouch.

The entire process took about ten minutes, but the end result was that Beacon had an unexpected windfall, Weiss now had her own business, and Noir was left with nothing but the clothes on his back and whatever he had in his house.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door and Noir's assistant poked his head inside.

"Sir there are some people from the Schnee Dust Company who want to see you and they won't take no for an answer."

Noir looked from his assistant and back to Weiss, noting the savage smirk the girl sported.

"Please ask them to come in." She said, not looking away from Noir.

"Sir?"

"Just...do as she says Billy...she's the new boss." Noir said, sitting back in his chair, his resolve completely crushed.

Billy for his part blinked before disappearing again, and a man and woman came in a moment later, both of them wearing immaculate suits and expensive looking sunglasses.

"Miss Schnee, we got here as soon as we could, what's the problem?" The man said, his companion looking around and sneering in disgust. Weiss turned to the newcomers and smiled appreciatively.

"Ah, Amber, Jade, glad you could make it. Due to unforeseen circumstances I find myself in possession of this poor excuse of a company. I'll explain later, but Amber, I need you to check over these documents and make sure they stand up to scrutiny. After that I'll need your team to go over everything this company has, right down to where they got the carpets from. Jade, please assemble all of the staff here for 'Evaluation' in the kitchens. I'd like this done as soon as possible please, and if they complain, just glare at them until they get moving. I'll be addressing everyone here in a moment."

Turning around to her companions and Noir, she smiled.

"Allow me to introduce you; this is Amber, one of the Schnee Dust Company's top legal experts, and Jade, the senior Caterer for the family estate. They are going to help me turn this dump around."

Ozpin and Goodwitch could do nothing more than blink at what they were seeing.

"What do you mean turn this place around?" The professor asked, as Amber and Jade went to their assigned tasks with a respectful nod towards the heiress.

"Put simply professor, Amber is going to make sure that this company is above board, and from what I have seen so far, I need to apologise for the immense workload I've just given him." Weiss looked a little unhappy at the prospect, but was surprised when the man in question just chuckled and looked back.

"With respect Miss, it'll be fun sorting this place out. Most of my work is just glancing over pages for mergers, and they would never dare deceive your fathers company. Now I can do some real work and get my hands dirty for once!" The man laughed at the end of his explanation, and after a moment, a surprised and grateful Weiss joined in.

"Hopefully not literally Amber! You have more nerve than I do touching that desk without gloves." The heiress quipped, chuckling as the older man stopped and took off his sunglasses so he could see the desk more clearly, as if looking for contaminants. Weiss then turned her attention back to Ozpin and Goodwitch and continued explaining.

"While Amber is, having fun," She smiled in the direction of Amber who flashed a 'thumbs up' before they returned to their individual tasks. "Jade is going to instruct the staff here on catering etiquette and technique. That might not sound very harsh, but the fact is...well, some people joke that she may be part Death Stalker considering her attitude in the kitchen. She has a reputation of breaking..." Weiss paused, trying to find the right word.

Glynda looked curious and offered some possibilities. "Breaking what? Equipment? Dishes?"

Weiss shook her head, and turned back, locking eyes with Noir.

"She usually breaks people. Leaves them a sobbing mess on the floor. And that's why I called her here. She is a perfectionist in the kitchen, every dish, slice of bread, even every pinch of salt must be precise and perfect. And she will get the people who work here to that level or they will die trying. I may even pay her a bonus from my own funds, each and every time a staff member breaks."

"Why are you doing this to me!?" Noir screamed, finally at the end of his rope.

"You really want to know? The Team mate I mentioned earlier, is actually the leader of my team, and beyond any of that, she is my partner in the school. She is important to me and I have just spent the entire day watching her come close to turning herself inside out because of your incompetence. I could do far worse, and believe me, I would _relish_ it. But I gave her my word I wouldn't hurt anyone. Be forever thankful to her that you at least have a home to go back to. If it had just been me here, I would have at the very least made sure you couldn't even live on the streets."

Noir closed his eyes and lowered his head in shamed resignation. He knew there was nothing he could possibly do to escape the situation. All the bribes, all the sabotage on other catering company, all of it was useless now. The best thing he could do was to stay silent, and submit to his fate.

And that's exactly what he did.

A moment later, Amber looked up and nodded when he caught Weiss' eye, silently letting her know the papers were in order. She smiled gratefully at him and looked towards Ozpin and Goodwitch, who were still where they were, smiling, but their eyes held awe at what they had just seen.

"Well, I think our business is concluded here, correct?" Ozpin asked, taking a slight step away from a crooked picture on the wall, convinced he saw something scuttle behind it out of the corner of his eye.

"I'm finished here Professor, we can leave whenever you're ready after I address the staff, which should only take a moment. Oh and Amber? Call in anyone you need to, starting with a deep cleaning service. The smell alone is starting to make me ill." The heiress waited for Amber to nod, noticing that the man had started working through the draws in the office, moving around the immobile and emotionally destroyed Noir Guardman. Sparing him one last look of distain, Weiss turned around and walked out, followed by the professors.

Billy was still sitting at the desk, looking incredibly confused, but as he saw Weiss and the others, he got up and started smiling sickly.

"Is there anything I can do for you miss?" He asked, trying to put on a charming attitude. Weise simply rolled her eyes.

"Get out of my way and go join your co-workers in the kitchen. Now."

Billy looked like he was about to take exception, but seeing the glare directed at him, and remembering Noir's words earlier, he nodded his head and exited through a side door leading further into the building. After shaking her head, remembering with irritation Billy had called her Ozpin's maid, Weise moved over to the desk, frowning as she saw the clutter. A moment later she noticed the intercom and, after taking a handkerchief from her pouch, the initiated the system.

"All employees of Guardman Catering, my name is Weiss Schnee. As of this moment I am now the owner of this company, and from this moment forward, things are going to change here. Staff members of the Schnee Dust Company are due to start arriving here within the hour, and over the coming months, this company is going to see massive changes. All staff members are going to be instructed by professionals and I expect everyone to improve by a significant margin. My representative, Jade, will act as my proxy with the Kitchens, and Amber, my proxy in matters pertaining to Administration. If you do not think you can handle it, feel free to collect your things and leave. If you wish to stay and believe you have what it takes to be a high calibre company, then step up."

Weiss was about to turn the system off, when a sudden inspiration came to her mind, and she smiled at the thought.

"Also, for the record, this company's name will from this point on be White Rose Catering. That is all."

Weiss turned off the intercom, and tossed the handkerchief in the waste bin under the desk. She had several more back at the dorm, and wasn't willing to take the chance. After that, Weiss looked towards her teachers and followed them when she saw they were waiting patiently by the door for her.

As they entered the car once again, Weiss chuckled, surprised at herself; she had set out to get revenge for what had happened to Ruby, not to grab herself a business.

"That was quite an impressive display, Miss Director." Ozpin quipped kindly, and Weiss couldn't help but laugh a bit.

"I'm assuming that Beacon staff and students will of course eat free at the cafe?" Glenda piped up with a smile, blinking at Weiss' surprised gaze.

"Cafe? What are you talking about?"

"On the other side of the building is a small cafe come restaurant, nothing major, and considering Guardman himself, it never seemed terribly successful. But if Jade is the kind of culinary sorceress you implied, I have a feeling the customer base will grow quickly." Ozpin explained.

"Oh, I didn't realise...Looks like I just made Jade's day, she said she always wanted to run a restaurant." Weiss shook her head bemusedly. The professors chuckled as the car set off once again, and they were shortly heading swiftly back to Beacon, the late afternoon traffic being rather light.

"I still can't believe you pulled that off. The talk about the health and safety committee? That was inspired!" Glynda offered, a truly impressed look on her face.

"Indeed, but how did you realise the importance of that note?" Ozpin asked, his curiosity now impossible to deny.

"Well that was the easy part; I was taught allot about business management last year. But here's the real question. How did Blake get that information?" Weiss offered, looking askance at Ozpin, whose brows drew down in confusion at the thought.

"You're right, and how did she get that information so fast? We left your dorm room less than a minute before Miss Xiao Long caught up with us. How could she get that information, write it down and hand it to Yang all in that short space of time?"

Everyone in the car seemed to be considering the situation, and no one could explain it. Blake was an exceedingly mysterious individual. She was undeniably intelligent, and very fast. Not quite Ruby fast, but still faster than the average student.

"I'll worry about that tomorrow. Right now I just want to pass out. After a VERY hot shower, of course." Weiss shuddered after the mention of the shower, feeling like she would need to use bleach to remove the smell of that office. She almost missed the sight of Glynda cringing in agreement, but she heard the disgusted short from Ozpin.

"That's a very good idea, Miss Schnee. I'm glad I didn't bring my cane, I'd probably have to burn it."

"You've got it easy Ozpin, Weiss and I will need a hundred gallons of shampoo and conditioner for our hair! I'm sure there was a spider web in the door when we walked through." Glynda groused, not noticing Weiss' eyes going wide.

"I thought it was my imagination! Eww! I hate spiders!" The young girl started checking her hair, making sure she didn't have any uninvited guests. Once she had calmed down, she looked down and noticed Ruby's cloak, and carefully checked it for any marks, stains or other damage.

A few moments passed, and Weiss' moments changed from checking the cloak, to gently caressing. The feel of the material was incredibly soft and light, merging the best features of cashmere and silk. Her eyes narrowed with slight worry as she considered the cloaks owner, lying in Weiss' bed back at the academy.

"I hope she's doing ok..." She whispered.

Ozpin noticed the quiet words, but decided not to interfere or comment. He knew that he had pushed the heiress a little too far earlier and decided to simply let the matter rest. As a teacher, he had voiced his concerns and made sure they were understood. But as a person who understood the pain of loneliness, he couldn't bring himself to dissuade Weiss from a decision that could make her happier in her life.

No one talked, all of them trying to assimilate the events of the day in their own way. After fifteen minutes, due to taking the more direct route and the surprisingly light traffic, the car came to a gentle stop in front of the school's main entrance.

Ozpin and Weiss stepped out, and Glynda drove the car away, returning it to the garage before returning to her office. Weiss and Ozpin, on the other hand, headed inside, and noticed that the students had thinned out. A look once again at the central clock revealed the reason why.

"Seven o'clock? Wow, how time flies." The headmaster blinked as he stared at the clock, not realising they had been gone for so long.

Weiss couldn't really bring herself to be surprised, once again having expected it to be later. She turned to Professor Ozpin and smiled, bowing her head in respect and gratitude.

"Professor...I can't ever thank you for all of your help, if you ever need anything, I mean anything, please let me know."

Ozpin simply shook his head with a tender smile and took Weiss' hand in his own, shaking her hand comfortably.

"Just make sure to invite Glynda to the cafe when it reopens and all debts will be paid."

Weiss laughed at this but nodded in response, plans already accumulating in her mind.

"Of course sir, and Beacon Staff and students eat free." She added with a cute grin.

Ozpin nodded one last time and released Weiss' hand, waving kindly in farewell. Weiss took that opportunity to head to the dorms, feeling as if her legs were made of lead. She was immensely tired, but she knew that she couldn't sleep yet.

Once she finally reached the dorm, she opened the door quietly, noticing that the room was completely silent. As she looked around, she spotted Blake sitting in a chair next to her bed, reading a book by candle light. Ruby as still curled up in Weiss' bed, and Yang had already gone to sleep in her own bed.

As if sensing the new presence, Blake's eyes rose and she smiled slightly in recognition upon seeing Weiss, nodding slightly.

Weiss smiled in return and closed the door, taking the opportunity to return Myrtenaster to its place on the shelf and, rather reluctantly, taking off Ruby's cloak and hanging it next to the door, taking one last quick glance to make sure it was clean.

"She fell asleep about an hour ago, and she kept asking when you would get back." Weiss turned around as she heard Blake's quiet voice.

"I was hoping she wouldn't worry too much with you two keeping her company." Weiss whispered, looking at Ruby sadly as she walked closer.

Most may have taken the heiress' words as recrimination, as if Weiss was blaming Yang and Blake for not keeping the girl's attention distracted. But Blake could see in Weiss' eyes how unhappy she was that Ruby continued to worry.

"Yang talked to her for a while, most of it was teasing though, something about Ruby missing her 'Juliette' and asking how long you two have been dating." Blake did try to keep the amused smile from her face, honestly she did, but she couldn't help but find the teasing slightly amusing. She did cover a quiet chuckle as Weiss' face erupted in a massive blush.

"Don't be surprised if tomorrow you wake up to find your partner smothered." Weiss muttered quietly, menace dripping from her words.

"It's just harmless fun; Yang doesn't mean anything by it." Blake's voice carried clear amusement at the discussion, but her smile faded to a curious expression.

"Or...forgive me for asking...but is there something between you and Ruby?" Blake asked her question very delicately, knowing that one wrong word would cause the heiress to react badly.

Weiss was quiet for a few moments, trying to calm her conflicted emotions. She wondered how it was she could go from verbally tearing someone over three times her age to pieces, yet her resolve and confidence practically turned to jelly today when she was anywhere near Ruby.

"Yesterday...I would have said you were out of your mind to suggest such a thing. Now..." Weiss trailed off quietly, still finding the situation very difficult.

"Things have changed and you don't know what to think?" Blake offered quietly, smiling as Weiss turned to look at her in surprise.

"I read the occasional romance novel." Blake admitted with a blush, thinking back to her favourite, Ninjas of Love.

Weiss shook her head and looked back at Ruby, her heart clenching slightly as she noticed that Ruby was hugging Weiss' jacket closely, as if hugging a loved one.

"Hypothetically speaking," The heiress started, blushing slightly and casting a shy look towards Blake. "Do you think it would be wrong? I've been a complete bitch to her for so long, you were there when we first met after all. Even after all that, she still didn't quit trying to be my friend. And I'll admit it's been great. But...like I said, I was so horrible to her, is it wrong of me to want to...to have her heart? To start a relationship with her and...fall in love?"

Weiss twitched a little, it was the first time she had used the word 'Love' when talking about Ruby, and it was possibly one of the most difficult admission she could make.

Blake sat quietly, considering Weiss' question. She was sharp enough to ignore the hypothetical part, knowing that Weiss was using that to try and protect herself, but the fact was that it was clear to see that for whatever reason, Weiss was starting to fall for Ruby, or had already fallen.

A small, vindictive part of Blake's mind whispered how this could be the perfect way to get back at the heiress, by convincing her that pursuing anything with Ruby would be a bad thing. It was no secret that while Blake and Weiss functioned rather well as team mates, they would never be friends because of their differing opinions on the Faunus and the White Fang.

They had been involved in an argument the previous week that lasted a few hours, and it was close to erupting into a screaming match when Ruby and Yang had done their best to distract their respective partners. Yang had wrapped her arm around Blake and convinced the amber eyed girl to go with her for something to eat, or maybe convinced isn't the right word, as Yang kept talking and didn't give Blake a chance to protest, or even resist as she was dragged out of the room.

From what little she heard as they were leaving, Blake thought that Ruby had tried asking Weiss to calm down and not fight with a friend.

She hadn't heard anything from Weiss, until she heard Ruby cheer and then Weiss started complaining, and demanding Ruby put her down. It seemed that Weiss had agreed to a cease fire.

As she remembered that and also considered that her plan would probably cause Ruby even more pain than Weiss, Blake made up her mind, and looked towards the heiress with a kind smile.

"Hypothetically...It seems as if she has given you her heart already. She didn't let go of your jacket once since you gave it to her."

Weiss didn't say anything to this, simply looking down at Ruby's sleeping form, her eyes soft, yet still conflicted. Blake for her part closed her book after marking her place with a bookmark, and headed to her bed.

"Blake?" 

The older girl turned around, noting that Weiss had turned around, but was looking at the ground uncomfortably.

"I know that...we haven't really, you know, clicked recently...but...thank you. We may not agree, but I truly value and treasure your friendship." Weise' words were slow, and obviously difficult for the girl to express.

Blake knew that Weiss had a difficult time opening up to people, trusting them, or opening herself up to friendship; it was oddly enough something they had in common, though for different reasons. But the difficulty they both shared previously assured Blake of the sincerity of the younger girl.

Knowing that anything more would make things harder for Weiss, Blake simply smiled and nodded, before she bade the heiress a quiet goodnight.

Weiss sighed in relief. The fact was it was the closest she could come to apologizing for the argument last week. She still refused to change her mind on the subject of the White Fang and its members, but she had, over the next few days, realised that she didn't need to colour every Faunus with the same brush she used for the White Fang.

But her words to Blake about their friendship had been pure and genuine. The older girl didn't have to offer any advice but she did, and Weiss remembered the note that Blake had given her, and it all just served as further proof that the girls in this dorm, especially Blake, were girls who she could risk putting her trust into.

Unfortunately those were only a few of the many hurdles Weiss needed to deal with, the most confusing one of all being the girl curled up in her bed sleeping.

Rubbing her hand over her face, Weiss grabbed her nightdress and headed into the bathroom, heading straight for the modest shower on the other side of the room. After letting the water warm up, Weiss quickly undressed and stepped under the warm water, letting the heat penetrate her skin and sooth her tired muscles.

The gradual release of tension and stress was almost painful, and it was surprising just how much she needed this shower. Normally Weiss was a bath-girl, preferring to relax in a nice hot bath of perfumed water and some nice music. But at times Weiss found a shower to be more soothing, almost therapeutic.

Shuddering in remembrance of the office, Weiss reached up and freed her hair, having forgotten to remove the pins that held her hair in its customary ponytail before she got into the shower. She quickly picked up the shampoo and started cleaning her hair, convinced that the suds would start turning a sickly grey. Leaving the suds to work on her hair, she took a step back and picked up the washcloth and body wash, starting to clean her pale skin.

In her haste, Weiss completely missed the fact that she picked up Ruby's rose scented body wash.

She realised it though as she picked up the intense smell that she had started associating with the younger girl, never having partaken of the scent so strongly before. It immediately brought a tender smile to her face, and she wrapped her arms around herself, indulging in a small fantasy that it was Ruby's arms holding her safe and warm.

A sudden spike of embarrassment tried to lance through her mind, reminding her that she was nude under the showerhead, but she fought it down, wanting to remain within the grip of her imagination for a few moments longer.

As if in understanding, her mind decided to shut up.

Twenty minutes later, Weiss stepped under the shower head and started rinsing the soap from her face and hair, glancing down and noting with amused relief that the suds were their normal white, her earlier fears proving unfounded.

Grabbing her bath robe and tying it securely, Weiss then grabbed a towel and started rubbing her hair dry; taking a few steps back into the bedroom and making sure that everything was calm. She noticed that Blake was asleep by now, her face peaceful and relaxed as she breathed gently through parted lips, a contrast to Yang who was snoring quietly.

The heiress smiled as she remembered White Castle, knowing that even now, her father was furiously adamant that he did not snore, despite several attendants saying they could hear him snoring all the way in the basement, her father's room being in one of the higher towers.

Her gaze shifted to her bed, and she noticed that Ruby had shifted a bit, bringing Weiss' jacket to her face as if she was trying to breathe in the heiress' scent.

_'It seems as if she has given you her heart already.'_ Blake's words whispered in her mind, and Weiss was sure she felt her heart flutter for a moment at the thought. She could see the truth in the other girl's words as clear as day, and while still a little concerned at what may happen, she found she didn't feel as frightened.

She went back into the bathroom and sat down in front of the vanity mirror, brushing her long snow white hair and taking a long look in the mirror. Weiss had been told for years that she was beautiful, but she had usually brushed those compliments off, usually hearing them from potential suitors introduced by her father.

Each and every one of them had been promptly put off by the disinterest Weiss exhibited, and about four months before she applied to Beacon her father stopped trying to set her daughter up with some boy from another wealthy family.

But as she looked into the reflection, her own blue eyes looking back at her, she couldn't help but wonder what Ruby saw when looking at Weiss.

_'Does she think I'm pretty? Or plain? That can't be pleasant to look at.'_ She thought bitterly, casting a critical look at the scar over her left eye, a gift from the Dark Armor.

Weiss usually spent a good deal of time on her appearance, having learned from a young age that an immaculate appearance will help get things she needs or wants from those she was dealing with. The only blemish on her pure skin was the scar, and despite the confusion of her father, she refused to have it removed. Mostly she pretended that it was a symbol of her strength, a reminder of her first solo encounter with a being of darkness.

The reality though was it was a constant reminder to never let her guard down.

During the battle, Weiss had grown over confident, believing she could evade or, if necessary, block every strike from the Dark Armor. After she jumped over a sword strike, her opponent capitalised on this mistake and struck Weise full force, the punch sending her flying.

Even the thought of that failure made Weiss cringe in shame, but she shook off the feeling, remembering she had grown far stronger since that day.

As she finished brushing her hair, Weiss spared her reflection one last glance. The girl she saw there was pretty, she decided with a small smile, she just hoped Ruby felt the same. After brushing her teeth and changing into her sleepwear, Weiss walked back into the team's bedroom, acutely aware of how tired she was.

She was considering her sleeping arrangements, having sworn to herself she would NEVER get up onto Ruby's bed unless her life depended on it, when a movement caught her attention. Her eyes locked on the form of her partner, who was moving around as if in distress.

Immediately Weiss was at her side, worry filling her entire being as she tried to discern what was wrong.

"Weiss...please...where are you...? Don't go...don't leave me alone...please..."

Ruby's quiet yet desperate words made Weiss freeze, and she suddenly knew that Ruby was having a nightmare, but why would Ruby dream of Weiss leaving?

And why would it upset the girl so much?

Unable to think of a different course of action, Weiss sat at the edge of the bed and leaned closer, caressing Ruby's cheek and gently shushing the still thrashing girl.

"Shhhh, Ruby it's ok, I'm here. I won't leave you Ruby, I promised you, remember? Shhh, I'm right here, it's alright."

Weiss kept up her soothing tone and continued to gently touch the girl's face, noticing that she was starting to calm down, when suddenly Ruby reached out almost blindly and wrapped her arms around the heiress' neck, pulling her down onto the bed as the rolled over.

It was all Weiss could do to keep the shocked 'eep!' quiet, not sure if she could survive the unladylike sound ever being heard. She tried to gently pry Ruby's arms off of her, but Ruby strengthened her grip and nuzzled her head against Weiss's chest, the older girl shivering at the unexpected invasion of her personal space. Finally Ruby calmed, her breathing slowed, and she murmured in contentment, the side of her head against Weiss's chest, listening to the elevated heartbeat.

"You...came back..."

They remained like that for some time, curled comfortably together on the bed, their legs slightly entwined, much to Weiss' initial embarrassment. Weiss, however, soon relaxed into her partners embrace, enjoying the new sensations. She had never been held like this, surrounded by warmth that was comforting but also needy.

Silently, Weiss started to see that being close to another was not a weakness as she had been told; it was not something to be avoided or feared. She could finally be herself, let down the defences she kept around her heart, she could be free.

They laid like that for some time, Weiss occasionally brushing a lock of hair from Ruby's pretty face, and Ruby occasionally nuzzling closer to Weiss' heartbeat. Weiss wasn't sure exactly why Ruby wanted to hear her heartbeat, but faded memories of being with her mother reminded Weiss that listening to the heartbeat of someone dear to you was very soothing.

The thought made Weiss blush shyly, because following that logic, it seemed she was very dear to Ruby, considering how the young girl held her as close as possible.

And Weiss realised that she didn't have a problem with that.

"I won't leave you Ruby, I promise. I don't know how or why, but today you've become so special and important to me...I swear to you, I will never leave you. No matter what path our lives take, be they as friends...or more...you'll never be alone."

Weiss spoke softly to Ruby, her words loud enough only for Ruby herself to hear, even if only in sleep. She had hesitated when implying that their relationship could be more, still uncomfortable with the very idea, but she couldn't deny that somewhere, deep inside her soul, she wanted this closeness with Ruby.

She wanted to be loved.

As Ruby hummed softly in her sleep and hugged Weiss tighter for a moment, Weiss smiled, and closed her eyes, cradling the younger girl as one would a precious gift. As she was drifting off, Weiss considered that it was Ruby's birthday in a couple of months, and she smiled, knowing that she had something to do for that special day.

_'I think Ruby would like eating for free at a certain restaurants grand reopening...'_ With that thought, the huntress surrendered to sleep and smiled, already in the grip of pleasant dreams, and in all of them Ruby was with her, smiling and laughing.

It was a dream she would continue to enjoy for the rest of her life.

Fin.

Author's notes: 

Ok, that wraps up the modifications to this story, and I hope that everyone likes the change to a multi chapter format. A lot of people said that the previous format was a little too intensive and I'm forced to agree, the fact of the matter is when I was writing this story I just kept typing until the story was done, I didn't even consider putting in separations for the scenes, especially considering I didn't really switch to different events or scenes, I just kept the story moving.

And don't worry, I'm working on a sequel already, just let me take a bit of a break and get some other work done first.

Wow, just wow, I intended this to be a small fluffy piece, but it's somehow grown into an absolute monster. Seriously, I was expecting an Ursa, now I'm looking at a Nevermore/Death Stalker combo right now!

Sorry. If you accept my apology, please send Cookies so I can give them to Ruby. 'Cause, you know, that's the only reason she allowed me to write her like I did in this story and, well...I don't have the money to make 50,000 cookies myself...


End file.
